Midsummer. A celebration of light and life. As usual, the Emissary had used the holiday as an excuse for a party—though this one had some special guests.
When the spring festival’s menangerie proved to be such a hit, a collaborator from Selen had reached out to expand the show. Lulaire and Sol'Vida Farms promised to have the best petting zoo this side of the Core, with bordoks, narglatches, nerfs, orbaks, tuggles, and more.
A festival meant a feast, of course, and food and drink stalls were rampant. This season, a flatbread called coca was the feature, covered with a wide variety of toppings from fried roba rinds to candied fruit and nuts. Friendly competition had already begun between the coca makers and the funnel cake vendors over who could make the tastier bread product. The Emissary’s signature seasonal cocktails were present too, of course, along with a sparkling wine called cava normally drunk with coca.
Posters around the festival promised a series of events both throughout the day and into the evening. A stage was set up for live music performances, and would later be the site of a battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. Large portions of the festival field (away from the petting zoo, for the animals’ safety) were marked off for the lighting and jumping-over of traditional bonfires.
Mihoshi stood at the entrance to rhe fairgrounds, the soft breeze stirring her raven-colored hair and bringing with it the scents of the area. Fresh bread, smoked meats, the scents of many animals. While together they should have produced something altogether unpleasant, there was a charm to it. A reminder of things lost past, things still to come. She smiled and nodded, glad she had left the heavy overjacket on the ship she had “borrowed” from the 2nd Fleet.
She walked up to what appeared to be a stall selling rocks and assorted gemstones. Each little cubby contained stones as well as a note for each one. Each one seemed to offer protection against something, causing the small Human to grin. Maybe she should pick up a few and spread them around Masahiro’s office to see if it helped any. She selected a few based solely on color alone and handed over a few creds to the vendor. Her prizes pocketed away, Mihoshi continued to move down the rows of vendors, violet eyes taking everything into account.
She had never been one someone would consider an attendee of festivals, But she had started feeling the confines of her new official status and needed a break. Miho wove her way through the early morning attendants towards the familiar scents of animals. One of the few whole memories of her past was being happy around the different creatures. That brought her thoughts back to Maneki, her Targon companion, who sat at home likely pouting and chewing on furniture just to be spiteful.
Arriving at the petting zoo, Miho leaned on the fence and looked out over the different creatures all starting to happily mill about. She looked around intently, searching for something to give the creatures as a treat. She wasn’t going to spend ALL of her time her, but she enjoyed animals over people and it was a long time until the battle between Spring and Winter would begin.
She didn’t want to miss that, but the animals and their cute little - little? - faces held her in rapt attention at the moment. Miho made a note to herself about keeping track of the time, but at the end of the day there was never any telling where she would end up.
Dr. Corinna Magarin took tentative steps through the festival’s entrance. Contrasting her pink skin and complementing the tattoos adorning her limbs, the Zeltron’s blue-violet hair shimmered in the summer sunlight. Her black eyes seemed distant, even as they scanned the vibrant scene before her. Aside from research trips or lectures, she rarely left her office on Horizon Station. But Midsummer celebrations across time and space intrigued her, and students as well as colleagues tended to speak highly of the Emissary’s festivals.
As she navigated through the crowd, the aromas of freshly baked bread captured her attention. She briefly considered joining the debate between coca and funnel cake enthusiasts, but decided to keep exploring. She had seen signs for a petting zoo, and boy, that sounded fun.
Vance strolled inside the entrance to the festival and smiled. It was vibrant and welcoming. As he made his way in, the pink skinned half Sephi, scanned the area, listening to the sounds of laughter and merriment coming from towards a petting zoo, however the various tantalizing sweet, and also savory smells coming from the food stalls also caught his attention. “Always choices, just got to think..am I hungry? Or do I want to watch someone get headbutt by one of the animals as they attempt to pet them?” He chuckled at the last statement, but still he stood by the small entrance booth that had a giant poster,listing some of the activities. “Oooh bonfire later this evening, I like that.”
Ahh, summer. Patio season, as Erinyes thought of it. A perfect time for a festival.
As was becoming usual for these events, the Emissary had split her day between tending bar and hosting VIP guests. After all, according to the faculty at the Zeltros Institute of Interstellar Relations, this festival was a diplomatic event. As one of the Brotherhood’s most public figures, it was her responsibility to ensure that they had a good time. For the sake of positive future relations, and all that.
She had carved out time purely for fun, though. There were people to meet, great food and drink, and animals to pet. Thus, Erinyes meandered through the crowd with a ham coca and a glass of cava wine in hand, eyes open for any interesting figures.
“Three… four….” Lulaire hummed absently. Her orange eyes glanced around as if she was looking for something. The petting zoo was going great. There’s a sign up front that animals with blue sash were up for adoption and animals with orange sash was already owned.
And she was missing one tuggle that had an orange sash.
Her brows furrowed. Now. Where her little friend could be? Removed herself from the tuggle pen, she made her way over to the others as she started to look for Cotton. There, she saw a Narglatch, just chilling with a few others, with an orange sash around it’s neck and a long white tail out of the corner of it’s mouth.
“Bafforr!” Lulaire started as Bafforr looked away, as if heard something on the other direction.
“Dun’t ya sass me! Spit it out!” Bafforr huffed as Lulaire was now standing in front of it.
“Spit. It. Out.” Bafforr looked at her and tilted it’s head, the tail twitched. Bafforr was attempting to look cute and confused. Lulaire snapped her fingers and pointed down at the ground. Bafforr groaned and spat out a very soaked tuggle with a damp orange sash around it’s neck. Lulaire sighed.
“What are ya two doin’?” Cotton squealed with delight. Bafforr lowered it’s head and opened it’s mouth and Cotton immediately jumped back in, playing with it’s teeth and tongue. Lulaire reached in and grabbed Cotton and held Cotton as it yowled in protect.
“Listen here ya slobber covered-” Lulaire was trying to keep Cotton out but it was too late. Cotton had squirmed it’s way into her overalls and now was damping her clothes with leftover of Bafforr’s slobber. If anyone was looking at Lulaire, they would see an abnormally shaped torso and a tuggle head sticking out between the shirt and overalls.
A lone Togruta walked through the festival fair, most of her features hidden under a cloak, but her telltale ivory montrals clearly showed. Her eyes were darting around to the many people around her. It had been a while since she had seen so many people together and it felt a bit awkward to her now. She then spotted the area where they were holding the various animals and a thin smile grew on her face, those you could always trust.
Getting up to one of the animals she held out her hand as an invitation to one of them
Mihoshi smiled as she gave the creatures quick pats on their furry heads as she stood up and dusted off the knees of her pants. Her stomach chose, at that moment, to voice concerns over her having ignored for the last day or so. It hadn’t been her fault though, holocrons in Praxeum needed to be checked regularly for record-keeping purposes. Not the most glamorous task, but she didn’t mind. The Archives were a quiet place.
Following her nose and only slightly exaggerating belly, Mihoshi found her way to the food stalls where she was assaulted by the smells of fruity coca vying for dominance from what looked like stings of dough stacked upon each other. She watched in amazement at the amount of everything put on….what had they been called? Funnel Cakes?
And that was the problem that led Mihoshi to having her hands full of a funnel cake loaded with what appeared to be everything known to man and a loaf of coca that was liberally dotted with chunks of fruit and berries while she looked for a table to sit at with her new prizes.
Mirin walked through the festival grounds observing the cacophony around her. The warm afternoon sun beaming down on the groups gathered around various stalls selling strange foods, kitschy knick-knacks and providing games for the festival goers. A smile touched her face beneath her mandalorian helmet as she watched a group of children run across her path laughing and shouting, racing towards a game that had a giant stuffed porg as a prize.
Mirin wasn’t normally one to attend such festivities. In fact, she hadn’t even planned on stopping by here. But her fascination with various cultures and their traditions had drawn her here. Mirin had planned to spend her time on Arx deep in research, but everyone needed a break from time to time and she could count this as part of her research, right?
The broadwave came through on the usual channels. Muz leaned back in his chair, a plethora of miniscule parts scattered on the workbench in front of him as he flexed his fingers. The recent work on Arx had proved to him that the counterweight on one of the golden hilts was a few micrometers out of alignment. It had annoyed him the entire rest of the mission, until he could sit down and remedy it. Forge dithered nearby, watching intently. The droid had been confused by his annoyance, and why he had such concern for one when he carried so damned many. Always seek perfection. were the only words he could muster, and thankfully, that seemed to satisfy the droid. He had found himself talking more and more as of late, a far cry from most of the last decade, when all the words he had to say could be silent.
An idle thought danced around in the back of his head, wondering if Leena could make it so that Forge could hear those, or if Hekate could. He shrugged off the thought, sitting forward as the words crossed in front of his eyes yet again. Erinyes, holding another soiree. The last time he had seen her, there was fried dough and powdered sweetgrain. Likely terrible for you, but what did he have to worry about that? He let out a sigh, nimble fingers threading the pommel back onto the hilt. He paused, closing his eyes for a moment, letting his senses sweep across him, across the Spear, across everything near.
Something meandered behind his thoughts, a song he only vaguely recalled the melody to, yet echoing softly as it called to him. He reached out to it, and found it a cool mist, lost in the morning sun, wisping through his grasp as it danced along his hand. He slowly opened his eyes, the invitation glowing across the blackened scars.
She felt it as sure as he was in the same room as her. Leena’s earcone seemed to itch from the inside, where she couldnt possibly scratch as she responded in the affirmative, then got to her feet. “Alright, Hexy, we’re headed planetside.” She looked for her jacket, finding it amongst a small pile of packs and other clothes on top of her footlocker as she talked to Hekate.
Hekate ambled forward, placing their hands on their hips and watching the flurry of activity as it set down a datapad. “This holo was just starting to get good, though…” Hekate’s voice staggered itself, the three voices that made their own coming throough in different tones and timbers.
“Then you’ll have something to look forward to when we get back.” Leena chirped as she slung the jacket over her shoulder. “The Boss says it’s time for an R&R excursion. Some sorta festival.”
Hekate stepped forward, optical sensors burning a little bit brighter. “Really? Where?”
Leena paused, making a face as one of her lekku stabbed at her back. “Arx.”
“Some R&R that’ll be.” Hekate turned, following Leena out of her quarters. “What’s wrong with Spira? Canto Bight? Or even Nar Shaddaa?”
Leena nodded, her steps carrying her to the bridge, to tell Blackwind their marching orders. She agreed with Hekate of course, but for very different reasons. With all the Brotherhood folk present, she’d have to be on her guard there. And while she had made several ….acquaintances, friends, she had such difficulty discerning, but nevertheless, it still was a stress. At least the boss would be there, and he usually got the lion’s share of the attention, anyway. She choked back a half-snorted laugh that made her cough.
“What?” Hekate inquired, watching her cheeks redden from the exertion.
“Nothing.” Leena gasped. “Just a terrible bad pun.”
“Oh, now I need to hear it…”
Wandering past the petting zoo, Erinyes smiled when she saw Lulaire tussling with the tuggle and baforr. She’d thought to drop by and see how the Sol'Vida Farms owner was doing, but it seemed like now might not be the most convenient time.
Instead, she raised an eyebrow when she spotted a Togruta woman who seemed vaguely familiar. Not someone Erinyes knew personally, but who she’d heard about before. Ivory montrals, liked to avoid drawing attention to herself…
Oh, shoot, it was that one friend of Aylin and Bale’s. What was her name again? Z-something?
In any case, if this was who she thought it was, Erinyes had gotten the impression the woman was staying away from the Brotherhood. That made it odd to see her on Arx of all places, and worth investigating. If nothing else, Erinyes could find out whether her ad campaigns were getting any traction outside Brotherhood space.
Swinging around so that the Togruta would spot her in her peripheral vision—not that the Zeltron was particularly stealthy—Erinyes gestured hello with the hand holding the fried bread. “Hey, you’re that friend of Aylin and Bale’s, right?”
<@417336769181122562>
Zehsaa looked up curiously when she heard the name of her Nautolan friend. She spotted the Zeltron who spoke and nodded slightly as she fully turned towards her.
“That is correct. Haven’t heard from Bale in a long while, but still somewhat in contact with Aylin. Are you a friend of hers?”
<@645466919415054357>
As Corinna wound through clusters of stalls and booths toward the petting zoo, the noises of the crowd began to change to gentle laughter, animal calls, and the soft cooing of children. A wide assortment of creatures mulled about in the pen. Narglatches lounged in shaded corners while nerfs grazed lazily on dried grass in troughs. But it was the bordok that caught her eye.
The majestic equine stood quietly at the edge of the enclosure, trotting nervously in a circle. Its large, expressive eyes met Corinna’s for a moment, and something stirred inside the Zeltron. She dropped her hands to her sides, keeping palms open and facing downward. Focusing on the intricate designs tattooed on her arms, she focused on the life that surrounded her—the crowd’s heartbeat, the respiration of leaves, the domesticated beasts on display. Her own presence expanded to mingle with the pulsating energies as she channeled the Force. The bordok’s life force stood strong and steady, despite its body’s apparent anxiety. Their minds easily melded, the creature’s thoughts and emotions sharpening into focus.
The connection forged, Corinna approached the bordok while offering it a sense of serenity. It almost immediately responded by relaxing its muscles and softening its eyes. She soon felt a wave of gentle curiosity and warmth from the creature. Corinna ran purple fingertips along the creature’s small, upward-curving horns and caress the mane adorning its muscular neck. As it nuzzled into her, she smiled.
Mihoshi found a table after a minute or two of searching and set her treats down on the smooth surface, reveling in the rustic nature of everything around her. It reminded her of stories she’d been told when she was much younger.
A flicker. There and gone again.
With a delighted shrug, she seated herself on the long bench and eyes the two pastries. She pulled a piece off the coca, making sure to get some of the fruit with it and popped it into her mouth, chewed, swallowed, reached for another bite. Soft, delighted mmm sounds could be heard by anyone in the immediate vicinity as she closed her lavender eyes, savoring the taste.
The small Proconsul had a bit of a fondness for food, delighting in new flavors and new ideas. Idly, she wondered if one of the makers might be willing to part with a recipe or two. Turning to her other treat, she examined it curiously. There was a white powder covering it, but also lines of dark and light brown, red and white. The smell coming from it was something she would definitely write home about…if she had a home to write to.
Mihoshi tore a small chunk off the funnel cake and eyed the drippy, gooey mess with something closer to trepidation than with joy. Was there a way to eat this without getting it everywhere? Deciding to just go for it, the Proconsul of Odan-Urr put the bite into her mouth as cleanly as she could, wiping away the remnants before covering her mouth as she chewed.
As she continued to eat her tasty little prizes, Mihoshi sat and watched the people milling about and enjoying the festival. She always liked that, just watching the hustle and bustle. The sound of people chatting with vendors, vendors hawking their wares, all of it was a delightful orchestra to Miho who sat in a bubble of serenity aware of nothing and everything.
“Yeah, we hang out together sometimes. I’m Erinyes.” The Zeltron looked between her hands for a moment, as if trying to figure out which item to put down to offer her new acquaintance a handshake, then shrugged and abandoned the idea.
“How are you enjoying the festival so far? The animals are cuties, aren’t they?”
The Togruta nodded, “I see, my name is Zehsaa, but I bet Aylin has said so already if she is still as talkative as she used the be.”
She chuckled softly as she looked back towards the animals, “They are indeed. My Convor would have liked it here as well, but she had to stay home for now.”
“Things seems to have changed around here as well.” <@645466919415054357>
From a cleverly styled administrative trailer equipped with excellent refreshers – if less excellent than the famous Shame Corner’s but still pretty good – emerged an odd and colorful figure. They were tall and rail thin, looking like the slight breeze that stirred over the festival grounds and lifted strands of their iridescent, shining hair would blow them over too. Nonetheless they walked out, narrow hips and partially barefoot step bobbing with a matronly sway, crooning a tune of ivy and birdsong to the baby strapped to their chest.
The two looked absolutely nothing alike. The figure was a lilac and lavender shade of skin, with hair and a tail that literally shone, metallic shades of deep violet graduating to bright poppy red and daffodil yellow. He had short montrals and saffron and marigold scales with goldenrod eyes. The baby, perhaps a bit over a year old, was tan skinned, chubby cheeked and rosey, and had wine-burgandy hair, visibly a more normal Near Human than the creature carrying her. She wore a toddler’s red dress, while he wore a dress of white and green and was bedecked with flowers and braids of herbs.
“All clean,” the hybrid said down to the babe, smiling at her with joy brighter than the whole sky. “Now let us find where your mother and sister went to, shall we not, little anemone?”
So said, he looked around, and quickly seemed to realize he had no idea where he was, or how to get back to his others.
“Oh, dear… Well, an adventure it is then.”
The man began wandering towards the food stalls. Elly was guaranteed to have an appetite, and Sulla had wanted those fried cakes.
“What do you think?”
Nathan Breeze stared up at the menu signage on the side of the vendor’s set up, only having to lean his neck back slightly to see the full view. He glanced side ways, golden eyes checking that Mikhail was still present. Still there. It had been a while since he’d been taken and rescued, but the fear still lingered and the presence of a friend helped the Pantoran hybrid relax. At least, mostly. There was an odd skip to his heart whenever their eyes shared a glance that had his palms slightly sweaty and his cheeks seemingly on a permanent flush.
According to Zig, he had a crush on Mikhail.
The flush returned and Nathan turned his eyes back to the menu. Theoretically this could be a date but it wasn’t. Just, two friends. Doing friendly friend things friendlily.
“There’s uhm, blue noodles, those fried treats things. They have drinks too but I don’t really know what a Frost Awakens is.” Nathan let the confusion take lead and hopefully distract from the rest of his demeanour.
<@160141735354171394>
Zehsaa! That was it! “Nice to meet you, Zehsaa. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. You’re welcome to bring your convor along next time. Lulaire probably has other birds she could play with.”
“And yes, Aylin’s a sweetheart, and a lot of fun. She’s become one of Taldryan’s most prolific pranksters. I haven’t seen her since I moved to Arx, unfortunately.”
Vance finally decided he was gonna go for some drinks. He looked again at the brochure he had grabbed..“huh Savory bread? I think I need to go try this!” Ambling off, he made his way towards the foods stalls. There were several people in lines getting various festival goodies. He looked around a bit and could smell the funnel cakes. Now he had to decide what first to get. “Funnel cakes, savory bread, and drinks. Then maybe someone to talk to.” He saw the funnel cakes first and the line seemed a tad shorter so,he went for the funnel cakes. “Dessert is always the answer in a festival.”
The Arkanian had to tilt his head quite a bit more than his companion to see the menu. His crystal blue eyes flicked from the menu to the Pantoran about as often as the Pantoran glanced away.
“I think… the Frost awakens is the same thing as Anu Hops, they just changed the name.” He swallowed, mouth quite dry since he arrived at the festival. “I don’t think I’ve ever had Blue noodles…”
Mikhail couldn’t ignore the behavior of his friend, but the cause for it remained a mystery to him still. The nervousness, almost uncomfortable. The flush of heat that colored his cheeks to the Arkanian’s thermal vision. The glances across at him that he caught every time he went to have his own look.
He must surely know about the Kadnikovs
That, or there was something about being an Arkanian that unsettled Nathan. That must be it. That would explain the behavior, and the way the color shifted from bright blue to a pleasant shade of purple - spanning from his strong jaw line to his nose while offering a new contrast against the striking yellow lines that underscored Nathan’s deep orange eyes that…. were staring back at him.
He jolted, what mental logic he possessed faltering as his head snapped back up towards the menus. “I’d like to try a blue noodle. Order. Please.” his jaw clenched as if attempting to stave off the soft pink that colored his ears first, then slowly shaded in his pale nose and cheeks.
“I’ll get that too.” Nathan added on, after a beat when the seller looked toward him.
It did not go unnoticed that Mikhail was flushing. Was he embarrassed? Argh. It was hard to read anything from him. The butterflies seemed to be hosting a rave in his stomach. Zig would know what to do. Zig being here would also make it so much worse. He could just imagine her grinning at him and doing that thumbs up thing SO obviously and act as if it wasn’t. Jeez.
The pair stepped aside so the next person could be served, waiting for the cook in the back to get their bowls ready. A whole host of smells filled the air with each new item being added to a pan.
“I’ve had them before. They’re uhm, they’re nice. Light, not really over rich.” The focus it took to not stutter was real and he didn’t realise he’d dropped his gaze down to their shoes.
The click-clack of hard soles tapping against the duracrete promenade heralded the arrival of one of the festival’s scheduled performers. Burnt sienna skin reflected the warm rays of the Arxian sun in a way that produced a distinctive sheen, and their head of variegated plumage, pulled backward by a loosely tied checkered brown scarf, bobbed lightly with every step. Behind them, their chimeric charhound Xolotl, followed, occasionally stopping to sniff the air in anticipation of all the tasty morsels that awaited them both.
As they walked, Savi produced a pocket-sized datapad from their bag and cycled through the contact list therein until they found Erinyes’ name; then, they started to type:
<:snakesip:963771124653645824> : Just arrived. Brought Xolotl with me, hope that’s okay. I’m going to mingle for a while before heading on stage. Have a drink with me later?
<@645466919415054357>
Once the message was marked delivered, they put the datapad away and, upon receiving another head nudge from Xolotl, decided to head toward the food stalls. A pointed tongue occasionally flickered from between a pair of narrow, curved fangs to sample the tantalizing flavors carried on a passing breeze. To their surprise, they caught not only the scent of hot food, but also of a familiar hybrid they’d met weeks earlier. And it didn’t take them long to spot him standing amongst the crowd.
“Rue?” called Savi while stepping closer, “Surprised to see you here, especially with,” Savi’s eyes dropped to the little being cradled into the curve of his arm, “ … an infant.”
The iridescent hybrid turned, throwing small flickers of violet, crimson, and golden light with the movement from the sunlight striking his hair, at the familiar voice. When his gaze landed on the Shani approaching, his face lit up, a golden sheen glimmering over his skin and his tail swaying upright. Effervescent joy radiated from him like a beacon, so pure Savi could taste it like the spun sugar a vendor was hawking.
“Mistress Savi!” he chirped, making an aborted motion that would have obviously been hugging her had he not had aforementioned infant on his person. Instead, he rearranged into something of a curtsey while reaching out to offer his hand for hers in warm supplication. “Blessed be! It’s wonderful to see you!” His words held a purr of excitement.
He looked then briefly down, adding, “And hullo, Sir Xolotl,” before proudly nodding down to the baby. “This is Lektra Kendis. She is perfect and healthy.” The smile turned back to Savran, accompanied by a tilt of the head. “Why is it surprising to see an infant? Does Mistress not frequent places with litluns?”
Mikhail’s hand ran through his hair, combing it back into it’s swoop. He then adjusted his high collar, tugging at it so it pulled closer at the back of his neck as his shoulders hunched inwards. Why did he feel so off? How did Nathan glancing at him drive his eyes away? His teeth ground as he cast his gaze around the local stall, the crystal orbs resting again on Nathan who appeared to be peering down at their shoes.
He tilts forward at the hip, looking down between them. His feet shift, letting him inspect his shoes as if they had something on them. “Light sounds.. nice. Good.” He rose his gaze again to the Pantoran, dark eyebrows nit together as words formed and fell out of his mouth. “I like Blue.”
What?
What the absolute Kist was that?
“B- like. Things.” He swallowed, still quite thirsty. “It - reminds me of clear skies, past clouds. Arkania.. never let me see many of them.” He turned his face away, confused by his own words. He was Delirious, that must be it. When was the last time he ate or drank?
He couldn’t quite remember.
Rue’s enthusiastic greeting elicited a smile from the shani, who lifted their hand in a casual wave. Xolotl, upon noticing the colorful hybrid, stepped over and brushed its head against his leg in its own kind of greeting before returning to Savi’s side.
Savi, upon noticing the flowers adorning Rue’s clothes, decided to say something about them. “You look nice. The flowers are a nice touch.
"I didn’t expect you to be the fathering type, Rue. And no, babies and I don’t mix.”
Rue visibly flushed under the praise, a happy chirrup purring from him. “Thank you, this one can tell you about them if you wish. Mistress looks the nice as well.” Then his smile, still so joyful, took on a tilt of sadness that matched the age of his eyes, an echo Savran knew well; they shared a century or more of living and losing. His voice was a soft croon as he spoke, idly allowing Lektra to play with one of his fingers, still swaying at the hips. “I have had many litluns, Miss Savi. Many. Likely more than you have feathers. Maybe as many as you have years.” His voice dropped even softer still. “They were all like this one. And none healthy like her. None of us were meant to live. Yet here this one stands in the sun. A strange thing the Goddess wills. But it gets to know you.”
The transport shuddered as it entered Arx’s atmosphere. Leena looked up slowly, watching the Lion as he stood, staring at the world below through the transparisteel. Hekate adjusted their robes, the subtle whir of servos all but lost in the sound of the ship’s engines. Forge fiddled next to Hekate, siblings in all of the ways that mattered, she had supposed. Eyes darted back up, the man staring silently out of the window. Pensive and brooding wasn’t unusual for him, but this seemed even more than the usual dose.
She debated asking him, then thought better of it. If it was important, when he was ready, he would tell her.
He clasped his hands behind his back, watching the land grow ever closer, his senses singing a thousand songs at once, the discordant symphony of what they were swarming his mind. He searched it, seeking a single thread in the tapestry that he didn’t know the color of. The hymns of loss, the sweet tones of happiness, the frenetic staccato of stress and strain, all played out below them, louder by the moment. He eyes flailed as if he was using his sight to focus a sense that needed none. He took a deep breath, then held it, letting it calm him.
It reminded him of home.
A home that had been taken from him a lifetime ago, burning a hole in his heart that no throne could fill. A hole that he had spilled rivers of souls trying to heal. A warmth that he had spent every night since building anew to replace.
His lip curled slightly. What was it about this place, this planet that he had darkened with his presence before? What difference was here now, drawing him to it? Not the cursed chair. There was nothing more that he wanted from it, or all that it symbolized any more. It had brought him nothing but complexity and emnity before, and time would not have dulled its curse. Did the Zeltron uncover something, some exotic artifact that would fill the gaps of his plan, and ease his nightmare visions of what was to come? Muz exhaled slowly. No, this felt different, an older kind of magic. Unbound by rite and rote. As the world grew close enough to touch, he turned from his thoughts, nodding at Leena, the droids. He would have to find out in person.
The hiss of retrorockets and maneuvering jets precluded the subtle shift beneath the floor of landing apparatus. A moment later, the ramp clicked loose, a sliver of light growing across their faces as the airlock sprayed. The pressure from the ship flung into Arx, the vaccuum pulling all manner of food scents to their nostrils, braised meats and fried dough, floral teas and spices. Leena’s stomach growled as the sounds of mirth bathed them with daylight as surely as the swarm of sensations.
Beneath it, his mind dissected the possibilities, finding one that he dared not consider. A smile tried to migrate from his heart to his lips, but he denied it. That was not the Force, that was reckless hope, a manipulated dream that he dared not trust. Eyes narowed in the bright as he stepped off the ramp onto the gravel. He would have to see for himself.
Nathan was distracted from the flustered look on Mikhail’s face as the one of the stall’s workers called out to them, holding two bowls of Blue Noodles. He grabbed them, thanking them while avoiding eye contact and hurrying out of the way of the others moving in to await their orders.
As the pair slipped into the crowd, Nathan passed over one of the bowls to Mikhail and then tried to recall the last of the conversation.
He blinked several times as it finally processed and could feel the change of colour in his face that was likely not blue anymore. Espeically as the rest filtered in. It was just a mis-speak, gosh. A series of stressed noises thankfully remained inside of his head and didn’t get verbalised as Nathan tried to link together a response. Arkania.
“I’ve, never been to Arkania. Is it- Well. Other than no skies- or well bl- Other than no blue skies, was it nice?” Nathan smiled as he stopped talking, trying to undo the awkwardness through.. some miracle apparently, before using a chopstick to lift the noodles and using food to try and shut himself up.
Mihoshi sat quietly at her table, happily going back and forth between the coca loaf and the funnel cake. She watched the ebb and flow of the patrons around her, listening to the different languages, the different tones of voice, all of it. The Jedi had always been a student of people watching. It had been a hobby, a job and now, a pleasure. The festival grounds seemed to buzz with happy anticipation for the day’s events and Miho was no exception.
A small stand on the table held a timeline for the day’s showings and the Human had a number of them she wanted to stop by and see. The fight between the two kings sounded like an exceptional show, the bonfires were something she just couldn’t miss.
Looking around, she could feel something familiar. Something different. Something coming.
With a shrug, Mihoshi dismissed the feeling. It would find her or not. For now, she still had her snacks to finish.
Reiden watched details take shape as his ship, guided by its droid brain, drew closer to the festival grounds. Once again, it was an impressive spread that had been assembled, courtesy of the Emissary. Hopefully this time he’d be able to enjoy more of what was being offered instead of being called away. As luck would have it, he was already going to be on Arx for business soon, so it was a simple matter of coming this way to check things out. He had already made sure to block out time so that he wouldn’t need to worry about conflicting obligations. It was nice that his responsibilities were more limited in scope, but he was still kept busy at times anyway.
The ship gently touched down and he stood, a smile on his face. He checked an equipment locker as he made his way back through the vessel and grabbed his dagger and clipped it to his belt. He knew he wouldn’t likely need any weapons, but since the Inquisitorius had forged the blade using metal from the hunting knife his parents had given him before their deaths, he tried to make sure it was never far away. They would always be with him. He issued a whistle and a little ID9 droid hovered into view, beeping at him quizzically.
He reached over to give the droid’s domed head a pat. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t leave without you, Sparks. I know you like to explore.”
The little droid chirped happily, bobbling up and down to indicate its excitement before settling down to perch on his shoulder. Reiden laughed at the display, although it wasn’t an unfamiliar one. They made their way down the ramp, enjoying a gentle breeze that was passing by. Carried with it were all of the scents one would expect at such a place, mingled together. He had even spotted a stage before, which would almost certainly warrant a visit. Hearing music was great, but it was always better to be able to see the performers. He idly wondered if there would be some other kind of entertainment act. Either way, it was worth checking out.
But first, he wanted to get whatever confection smelled so good. Being mixed in with everything else and not being closer, it was hard to pick out specific scents. Even so, something was trying to make itself known to him. It drew him. Before he knew it, his feet were already moving, following the path his nose picked up. As he drew closer to the various stands, a smile spread across his lips. Memories from what felt like a lifetime ago came to mind. Time spent with his parents when he was young. Fried dough.
When was the last time he had any? He wasn’t sure. But he knew he was going to have some this day.
Savi remained silent for a few moments after Rue’s explanation. Although children weren’t their cup of tea, the thought of them dying was unsettling. Loss, especially frequent loss, stung even more than a vibroblade’s cut. They shifted a bit, crossing their arms and lifting a hand to absentmindedly caress the pendant hanging from their neck.
“Yes, well, you are here despite whatever fate was intended for you. So, you should make the most of it,” Savi replied, eager to change the subject, “And the way you do that, especially on this occasion, is via drinks.”
Savi reached out to stop a handsome arkanian man, who responded with an expectant smile. Perhaps to his disappointment, though, the shani hadn’t stopped him because they were interested in him so much as what he could do for them. They held his gaze for a moment. “My friend and I would like drinks. Something strong and … fruity. Be quick about it.”
The man’s eyes suddenly became distant, and his mouth fell open a bit.
“I’ll be quick about it,” he repeated before turning and heading toward the nearest drink stall.
Savi smiled at Rue before looking around again, which was when she noticed a human man seemingly following his nose just like they had. They watched him from afar, but didn’t say anything.
<@232396983854301187>
Smoke was nearly pouring out of Mikhail ears as he was handed his bowl in silence. His eyes glued to the noodles as they walked through the crowd, barely raising to make sure his path was clear. When he had to avert around someone, he favored slipping between them and Nathan. It seemed to take eons for the Pantoran to speak up, but Mikhail listened when he did. His gaze shifting slowly back up to Nathan’s.
Mikhail was set back for a moment at the color and heat coming off of Nathan’s face. Was he annoyed at Mikhail’s idiocy? Frustrated? Worse yet was he getting secondhand embarrassment from Mikhail’s social incompetence?
Stop. Why does this matter?
The little voice of logic sparked back up after minutes of finding no words of assistance.
Why are you so concerned with what he thinks of you?
Well. He was a Praetor. An official. No, he was. Not for long after the kidnapping.
Technically it wasn’t a kidnapping, it was an abduction.
Still, he has been experienced in the inner workings of the clan much longer than Mikhail had been volunteering.
You’ve dealt with more important, worse people.
“Cold. It’s cold.” He voice interrupted the battling thoughts. “It’s.. very scenic. If you know where to go. Avoid the tourist areas, the best places aren’t advertised.”
He fumbled with the chopsticks he was provided for a few moments, eventually snagging a clump of noodles. As he raised them, all but a single noodle held in an iron synthwood grip remained. The others slid off with a soft plop into his bowl.
Mikhail frowned into his bowl, but still raised the lone morsel to his mouth to taste. He came away.. not hating it. It was unique, and left him curious as to what made them blue. Was it a flavoring? Structural ingredient to form the noodle? A dye maybe?
“There’s caves, lots of them. Nomads use them for shelter still, the rest of us live inside. Our towns are enclosed, and generally built into the top layers of the larger mines.”
Rue nodded along intently to Savi’s instruction, having watched the way they fiddled with their pendant, wondering at it. When she mentioned drinks, he perked somewhat, hand ready to reach for a notebook since Lektra was now gumming at one of his tinier, fine braids. Savran ordering someone about was so normal to him that he didn’t even notice it.
“Mistress likes fruit? What makes a drink strong? The time of steeping the tea? There are many lovely fruit and herbal teas. This one knows many and hot drinks are good things. Though it is perhaps rather warm here for it, and must stay hydrated…” he rambled.
Reiden looked around as he made his way through the grounds, making a mental note of things that caught his interest that he’d have to check out before leaving. There were so many things. He thought back to other festivals he had been to and came away with the impression that this was the largest one.
Following the scents, he found what he was after. Apparently what he had smelled was funnel cake, rather than fried dough, although perhaps they had that as well and he hadn’t come across it yet. Then there was some coca bread. He found it intriguing, and it smelled amazing. But the allure of the funnel cake was too much, partially colored by his love of similar things when he was younger. Just the smell was nostalgic and he could practically taste it already. But if he was going to have something to eat, he also needed something to drink. There was a line for food, but luckily several stands meant it wasn’t too bad and the people working them had a decent turnaround. The line for drinks, on the other hand, was smaller.
He angled towards a drink stand to wait in line and look at the menu. Waiting let him watch the other people milling about. An old hobby of his that he was never able to break - his natural curiosity was surely at least partly to blame. There were beings of all sorts, presumably from all walks of life. Before long, it was his turn to order. Requesting a Corellian Sunrise, he paid for his drink - making sure to leave a tip as well - and turned to find a spot to sit down and enjoy it, and possibly get some food. As he turned, two colorful individuals caught his attention. One had multicolored hair, a tail, and what looked like horns - or perhaps montrals? He idly wondered if it was a hybrid of some sort. That being had a baby strapped in some kind of harness, though its features were partially shielded from his view. The other had multicolored hair that looked like feathers, or maybe they were feathers.
He had seen many beings in his travels, but these two seemed unique. In any case, he made sure not to look too long, lest he be considered rude and draw unwanted attention or cause problems. He directed his attention back to his drink and the lines at the food stalls.
Savi lifted a hand to their lips to keep themselves from chuckling after hearing Rue’s response. “I’m afraid this isn’t a tea, Rue,” they replied, “But an alcohol. I presume that means you’ve never had it before? If you haven’t, I would drink it very slowly.”
It didn’t take long for the man they’d compelled earlier to return with their drinks. Savi thanked him with a wink and turned to Rue again, presenting the glass filled nearly to the brim to him. It was a bright cyan color with streaks of lavender scattered throughout. “This is for you. And remember, drink slowly.”
It probably wasn’t the best idea to give the man who had never had alcohol before a drink while they had an infant with them, but what the hell? Maybe they could enlist the human fellow sitting alone to help them out if things got too weird.
“Oh!” The hybrid’s face lit with recognition, then puzzlement, the wonder, as he was handed the pretty blue drink. He gave a slight mrwr? sound of curiosity, replying at once to the order, “Yes, Mistress!” and then, “I have never seen a drink so blue!” and then, “this is an alcohol? This one knows a great many alcohols, but none such as this. Is it derivative of a glucose such as cellulose or hemicellulose, or a phenol? Or something else? What is the purpose of drinking it for the making the most of the festival? Are we intended to become dehydrated? Does it achieve acidosis?”
His enthralled questioning tapered off then, and he shied slightly, hand retracting from taking the glass to protectively hug Lektra.
“It is…not for…f-for testing, is it? Ker– my frien–” Rue cut himself off, all at once miserable on the word friend, but still instead of stooping his spine was sure now, pose guarding of the infant in a way that suggested shielding via himself. “Someone this one. That I–. Love. T-told me there were no tests here in the Outside. No experiments. This one. Has only had the alcohols applied for testing. Intravenously or otherwise. It does not. Want that. This is not. This is not that, is this correct? This one is not understanding… something.”
“I like- I well. I’m good with cold.” Nathan answered, his Pantoran heritage having carried enough over that he was generally more resistant to cold.
He listened, watching the attempt to use the chopsticks and struggling over whether or not to guide Mikhail on how to do it correctly.
“I haven’t been underground much. Cave systems sound fascinating but.. I’ve little reason to go usually.” He commented initially before giving in and adding on, “Do you.. need help?”
Nathan tapped the ends of his chop sticks together, tilting his hand so the position was visible, “If you use your thumb to anchor the bottom one, it’s easier.”
Why was it so nerve-wracking to do that? Nathan had tk double check he was holding them right after saying it despite quite literally gripping a group of noodles in that exact moment.
Mikhail’s face turned a shade more pink at the offer to help. He watched Nathan’s hands carefully, inspecting them. He used it as a reference to adjust his own grip, but paused.
Were Nathan’s hands really that much larger than his own?
He looked between their hands, trying the grip out that was shown to him while noting the difference in their hands. His own couldn’t cover the same amount of the sticks as the Pantoran’s, but the adjusted grip did help. He used it to again grab a clump of noodles and this time when he lifted them, only half the noodles slid off this time.
The Arkanian was not familiar with noodles, nor the etiquette associated with eating them. So, he made a cardinal error. He slurped too greedily, too deep. The speed that the noodle shot upwards startled him, tricking him into stopping. The momentum cause the “tail” of the noodle to flick upwards in a fast arc. The very end of the noodle caught the bottom of his blacked out lens glasses, slicing the bundle of carbohydrates there and allowing the rest to slip under the glasses and slap against his eye that was already attempting to close.
Mikhail’s head jerked backwards as he made a light noise muffled by the noodles in his mouth. His eye was squeezed shut and the remains of a noodle end were left splattered on his glasses and cheek. Pain coursed through his eye from the flavored juices that now invaded the shimmering crystal surface.
Abort, the noodles have retaliated
The Arkanian winced as he tried to open his eye and blink away the pain, but he settled with keeping his closed as he tried to finish chewing. There was no easy place to set his bowl down to take care of the mess, which only lead to an increase in the embarrassed panic that rose in him.
Savran placed a hand on Rue’s shoulder and gave it a compassionate squeeze. “It’s not for experiments, Rue, no,” they assured him, “It’s for enjoying yourself. And occasionally making poor decisions while enjoying yourself.”
They made a show of lifting the straw to their lips and taking a long sip. “It takes a lot for me to get to that point, though. Drunkenness doesn’t come easy with my species, apparently.”
Between the comforting gesture and explanation, Rue eased somewhat. Savran was smart to mention another quirk of their species; the medically curious hybrid tool immediate notice, now patting around for his notebook from his bag. He looked for somewhere to brace.
“Fascinating. This one’s physiology is also exceptionally resistant to many toxins and substances. This was intended. It always required much higher dosages to produce effects. The effects were…rarely pleasant.”
He shook himself, and dropped a kiss to the top of Lektra’s wine-colored, soft hair, as if to remind of joyful things.
“Very well, then. We will try the drinking. I do not wish to make poor decisions, however. That begets punishment.” Another pause. “If not perhaps how this one knows it, I have also been informed extensively of lawbreaking. By a lawyer.” His tone turned proud, and he smiled down at the baby. “Her mother, Elly. She is a hero.”
Well, it certainly made sense that those responsible for Rue’s “creation” would have made him more resistant to poisonous substances. Learning to do that very thing with the Force was one of the earliest lessons Savi learned all those centuries ago in the Jedi academy, as many Nihil were fond of using poisonous gas.
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that, here,” Savi replied, “You only have to drink whatever you like. And no poor decisions, cross my heart and hope to die.”
Savi tilted her head at the mention of the name Elly. “That name sounds … familiar.”
“Ellisyn Kendis,” Rue replied with still glowing pride and admiration. “She works on the Selen, and was on the Kasiya. That is how we met. There was a terrible snow, which was also the first time this one had ever seen snow, which it thought was ash from a very great incinerator, but it could not smell the bodies burning, and it was cold. But this one sensed someone in need and so we went into the sewers and found Elly hurt and she allowed this one to heal her and then showed me hot chocolate, which tasted like sunlight feels. And this one loves sunlight! It is almost the best thing. Next to this litlun, and her sister, and friends like Elly and Hunyi and Keris–” another stumble, but he soldiered on, “and you, Mistress Savi. Also. Why do you hope to die? What is crossing your heart? Why are you angry with it? It sounds perfectly healthy. Your heartbeat is regular and strong. This one can hear it, because of its Kessurian traits.” He nodded towards their chest.
Fortunately for the Shani he did have to breathe sometime, and did then, pausing to finally take the blue drink and clumsily sip on the straw in a manner that suggested he had never used a straw before but was mimicking her. Then his golden eyes shot wide and he coughed.
“It is! Fruity! But it hurts also! But not…like things usually hurt? Like the water is angry.” Experimentally, he sucked again, before remembering he was ordered to go slowly.
Nathan watched as if it had happened in slow motion. The mistakenly powerful slurp, before the momentum maintained itself and ignored Mikhail’s eye protection entirely. He winced in sympathy, looking to the nearest stalls and hoping at least one would sell water. They needed to clean that out.
“Jeez- Are you ok? Or- Well no of course you’re not, come with me we can rinse it, I’ll just have to buy some water.”
Without taking the time to think about it, Nathan placed a hand on Mikhail’s shoulder and led him out of the crowd to the side, finding the edge of a stall lacking a significant line.
“I’ll be right back.”
And indeed he was, only taking a minute to get through and order water.
Mikhail drifted closer to Nathan as he was guided out, both hands now cupping his bowl. He stood there, head bowed as he still tried to blink every few seconds. His eye grew watery, starting to smudge the subtle line of black makeup that accentuated his eyes.
He did not have much to do besides suffer until the Pantoran came back. Thankfully, it was not a long wait until Nathan returned with water. Mikhail held out the bowl towards him and swapped for the bottle.
The Arkanian slipped his glasses off and tilted his head back. His other then squinted shut, now facing towards the sun. Carefully, Mikhail used the water to flush his eye of the foreign invaders. His face - still pink - turned back to Nathan, now glistening from the water and showing a much more obvious smudge of makeup. “Thank you. I..” he trailed off, then shook the bottle. It was still about half full, so Mikhail once more craned his head back to pour some water into his mouth.
After a little splash to clean his glasses, he spun the cap back on and handed it to Nathan, eyes still downcast almost sheepishly. “Sorry, about all that.”
Vance had finally managed to get his funnelcake. He chose to drizzle some carmel with the regular powdered sugar. Looking about he spotted a small table he could sit down and enjoy his tasty snack. As he tucked into his food, he looked about, watching some of the people walking by. As he finished through half the funnelcake, he realized he had forgotten something to drink. “Gonna have to grab something after I finish this.” He dusted off his hands a moments as he licked some carmel of his darker pink lips. “I wonder what drink they are serving here?”
Savi snapped their fingers upon finally making the connection, matching the name to one of their recent memories. “That’s right,” they said, “Ellisyn Kendis was a member of a team I went on to subvert the schemes of this … Sith cult, you could call it. She seemed out of her element, but her skills spoke for themselves.”
She was also present during Savi’s flirtation with death – the unfortunate price that needed to be paid for the shani to complete their trial in their campaign to destroy Scimitar and his ilk. But that was a conversation for, well, never.
Eager to change the subject, Savi gestured toward the human male they’d observed earlier and a new arrival: a sephi male who was seemingly looking for something to drink after enjoying a portion of his funnel cake.
“You two,” they announced, gesturing with a tattooed hand for them to come over, “grab an alcoholic drink of your choice and join us. My friend here has never had alcohol willingly, so I want to show him how you can use it to have a good time. Especially in crowds.”
<@232396983854301187> <@277745193527279626>
The pink-skinned sephi’s eyes lit up as he had come over and set down his half funnel cake on the table. “Well, I certainly can’t say no to a fun bout of drinking! Sure, I will go grab one and join you all, Vance by the way.” Grinning, he got up and went to the beverage stall. When his turn came in line. He smiled at the barista. “I will have a Tattooine Sunrise please.” After acknowledging the order, the barista began to work on the drink. Vance waited a bit on the side till he had his drink and joined back up with the others at the table. “This one is really nice, a little more in alcohol volume than other drinks, but it goes down so smooth.” He grinned.
Nathan fumbled as they switched, flustered internally because he’d assumed that he’d rinse the eye but it made sense for Mikhail to do so. Mikhail was a medic too, after all. Bad assumption. Why was it so warm out here?
He held the still mostly full bowl of noodles, standing awkwardly just in front of Mikhail with at least some purpose to give the man some privacy. He seemed embarrassed, though it was a easy mistake really.
Nathan handed the bowl over, gently taking the waterbottle back and fiddling with the broken seal. “It happens. I got a noodle in my hair once, I wasn’t paying attention and- well-” He laughed somewhat nervously, but offered a genuinely warm smile, “So long as your eye is ok, that’s what matters.”
Reiden was just beginning to savor his drink and was contemplating getting up to get some funnel cake when he heard a voice call out to him. He raised an eyebrow and turned to determine the source, surprised to see it was the feather-haired person he had noted earlier. The choice of the word ‘willingly’ caught his attention and he idly wondered what the story might be behind that. Nonetheless, he wasn’t doing anything else and was intrigued. The festival grounds should be a relatively safe space to interact with people, so he didn’t see any harm in joining their small group.
He got up and smiled as he walked over. “Well I can’t say no to an occasion like that, now, can I? I’m Reiden.“
Rue was evidently shy and somewhat nervous as he unconsciously tucked closer to Savi while they gathered, enough so with the suddenness of their new Doing the Drinking to Have A Good Time in Crowds that he didn’t have the time to question the Shani on they or Elly being involved with a Sith cult. Setting his blue drink down, he curtsied low instead of bowing with Lektra on his chest, bowing his head only.
“This one is Rue,” he replied to Reiden and the other, “and this is Lektra Kendis, who is perfect, and Mistress Savi.” A pause. “I do not know what I am drinking but it is fruity and angry.”
<@277745193527279626> <@232396983854301187>
After a bit of further polite chatting with Zehsaa, Erinyes felt the tug to stay on the move—she’d promised the bar staff she’d show up later. She’d also invited the Togruta to come along with her for a walk and perhaps a bite to eat, if Zehsaa was interested.
As they got to the dining area, there seemed to be a crowd gathered around a table. Some faces were familiar, while others were completely new.
Then Rue gave her an opening too good to pass up.
“Someone said fruity and angry?”
Despite the stop, she kept her posture angled so that Zehsaa had the opportunity to withdraw if she preferred.
<@417336769181122562>
Vance had finished off the tattooine sunrise, he was still just fine. He looked over at Rue. “Fruity and Angry? Well that’s a new one, might have to try that one next.” He smiled politely before looking up and seeing the crowd. “Whoa,wasm’t expectin this many to come watch. A bit…overwhelming..” Vance could feel a slight pang of anxiousness begining to well up in him. Crowds of people were a bit tough for him when they closed in. Usually he was fine if he didn’t dwell on it, but seeing so many at once he didn’t know and so much closer, he was getting a little nervous. Suddenly, drinking wasn’t something he wanted to continue doing.His eyes darted about as he began to look for a way to step back from the crowd of onlookers while trying to still not look like a nervous wreck.
Reiden nodded, raising his glass slightly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you all.”
He heard a new voice and turned to see a Zeltron had joined them. It wasn’t just any Zeltron either, but none other than the Emissary herself. He inclined his head to her in greeting. Vance’s words drew his attention next. His eyes studied the man and he could almost feel his unease. He stepped aside slightly to allow him some more room. As he did, he noted that there was a Togruta that had accompanied Erinyes. Something about her seemed familiar.
It’s been a long time, but could that be Zehsaa?
Mikhail slipped the glasses back on, a smile of his own tugging at the corner of his lips before he glanced up towards Nathan. His face was still obviously wet, droplets glimmered across his face, tailing down his neck and the blue crystal that marred him. His eyes, again blocked by the glasses, fell on Nathan’s smile. He stood silently for a moment, his grip on his bowl tightening. Once more, words seemed to fall out of his mouth in a soft voice. “You have…” the words stopped before he uttered lips.
Lips? Everyone has lips
He cleared his throat and spoke up, no longer whispering “you are very nice, thank you. I’m… slightly wet now but that’s fine.”
His eyebrows furrowed again as he reached a hand up to his face, remembering the eye lining that no doubt was affected by the cleansing. He swiped at his cheek, then checked his fingers. It was quite obvious what he was checking for.
Fried dough. Leena’s nose found the trail, as if it were a kid’s holo, the scent beckoning her down the ramp to the food stalls. She paused, casting a sidelong glance at Muz. His eyebrow arched, and a nod so minute that she almost didn’t catch it was sent her way. She smiled as his eyes closed in contemplation, meditation, or most ikely, to drown out the optical input so he could focus on other senses. There was something here that had him acting quite strangely. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but when he acted off, it was saying something. The steeliness of missions wasn’t there, she knew that version of him all too well, so at least there was that. She paced forward, leaving the man to his wizardry, chasing the promise of fatty carbohydrates.
“Mistress Erinyes!” Rue exclaimed, brightening with some excitement; less than he had for Savi, but nonetheless a pleased chirp from the timid man. He smiled at her and waved with his one hand. “Yes, this one’s friend, Mistress Savi, is showing this one How to Willingly Drink and Have a Good Time Doing It In a Crowd. This is the first it has tried.” She showed the blue and purple drink. “Fruity. But angry. This one does not understand but wishes to learn. These are also Master Reiden and Master Vance.”
He looked kindly then to the last mentioned.
“This one understands. Everything is very overwhelming to me. It is alright. Mistress Erinyes is kind, and so is Savi, who would also protect us.”
<@277745193527279626> <@1056685516441006091> <@232396983854301187>
Vance breathed a slight relieved sigh as Reiden had moved back giving him some space. Before turning to Erinyes he gave a small wave. “Yeah, right thanks Reiden appreciate the space. Yeah crowds coming close that I don’t really know tend to overwhelm me a tad. Glad though to meet you Mistress Erinyes and Savi. He then chuckled a moment his long pink sephi ears twitching slightly as he tried to relax himself a bit more. He was among friends right? That at least is what he truly wanted to tell himself and they did seem like some nice folks. "Yeah we were having ourself a little drinking game here just to lighten the mood and make this festival a fun one.” He then replied.
Rue tilted his head, watching the ears twitch with both curiosity and familiarity, before asking, “What is a drinking game?”
Even as he said it, he looked more to Savi, as if they were the authority here (and to him, she surely was chief among them.)
“Well it’s where we take these fruity and spicy drinks and try to see who can drink the most and still be standing up at the end. Last person standing who drank the most wins.” He offered a smile.
“Nice to meet you, Vance. And good to see you, Reiden. I trust you’re enjoying that bottle.” Being an acknowledged expert on drinking games, Erinyes stepped up to the table and plunked herself down. “I’m in.”
Then she heard Vance’s definition of a drinking game, and for a split-second, concern flickered through Erinyes’ mind. Not that she had anything against falling down drunk, but if their meeting at the Starlight Lounge had been any indication, Rue was not equipped to handle that level of alcohol—and he probably didn’t know what he’d be getting into if he agreed. Not to mention, the young man was babysitting. If the child’s parents were nearby and saw the minder getting plastered, there’d be hell to pay.
And so, Erinyes had no choice but to take the most drastic of actions.
“It’s okay to drink less.”
It almost hurt to say.
“Drinking can be fun, and drinking a lot can be fun, but it takes practice. The most important part of a drinking game is the fun, and slamming back so many drinks that you get sick and fall over isn’t fun for most people.”
<@244244163002892288> <@1056685516441006091> <@232396983854301187>
Savi listened intently to Erinyes’ words and found themselves nodding in agreement while making eye contact with Rue.
“That’s right,” they said, “You needn’t get dru–” they paused and considered for a moment. Perhaps it would be better to put it in terms Rue might understand better? He seemed to be more familiar with technical terms rather than colloquialisms, so the word they settled on was, “–inebriated to have a good time.”
To the two new arrivals, Savi folded their arms across their chest before taking another sip of their drink, slitted eyes watching them with a curious, if not somewhat vulturine mien. “Pleasure to meet you both,” they said, “and it’s good to see you again, Erinyes. Been a while.”
<@244244163002892288> <@232396983854301187> <@277745193527279626>
“Aye, yeah that is true, sorry. I uh..” Vance stammered lightly. “Yeah…part oh my knowledge of drinkin games comes from my unfortunate bit of being a slave and yeah that wasn’t very fun.”
Reiden smiled at the Emissary’s initial comment, nodding. “It’s good to see you as well, Erinyes. The bottle is great, although it’s getting lower and lower. I’ll have to get more soon. It’s quickly become what I prefer to have when I just need to unwind.”
The smile faded, however, upon hearing Vance’s story. He wasn’t sure of the context, but it wasn’t one of the typical games he was used to. Still, he appreciated Erinyes stepping in and helping Rue. The hybrid seemed new to that kind of thing and while he was sure that Vance meant well, and one’s personal experiences always helped shape things, he wasn’t convinced throwing Rue into the deep end like that wss best. Although at the very least he was not alone in his drinking, which was always a plus.
Savi’s carefully chosen words likewise inspired confidence that Rue was in good hands and truly among friends, to say nothing of the strangers the hybrid had just met. Being closer now, Reiden realized that Savi’s feather-like hair was, in fact, actual feathers.
He turned to the hybrid again and smiled softly. “That’s right, Rue. Sometimes having just a little is enough. And if you don’t like it, that’s okay too.”
Nathan found himself watching the quiet investigation of the eyeliner, debating what to say, if anything. It was only somewhat smeared, despite the direct water contact. It wouldn’t take much effort to redefine the line and make it sleek again. They had napkins.
He was half way through folding it when he realised he was planning to do it himself and froze. No. Step by step, Nathan forcibly and gently held the napkin folded out to Mikhail and asked.
“I could help, it still looks good just a bit blurred if- Well.” Nathan cleared his throat, “We could find a mirror, too. Somewhere.”
“Oh,” Rue said simply to all the information, finding comfort in the idea of it’s okay to drink less and you don’t need to get inebriated to have a good time and if you don’t like it that’s okay too. They were all so very kind. He told them so. “Okay. Yes. This one understands now, thank you.” He blinked tears away and smiled, taking his hand off the drink he’d been prepared to drink until loss of consciousness commenced, which he knew from experience would be time consuming and uncomfortable. Instead he played with Lektra’s tiny hand on two fingers. “You are all very kind. Thank you.” And then to Vance: “This one is still learning everything as well. We can both learn. Maybe there are games that are not all of the drinking until syncope and alcohol poisoning and liver toxicity.”
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Vance nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I would like to learn too cause I don’t want to hurt my body anymore than it has already suffered.” He smiled at Lektra. “Aww that little one is so cute. Yeah so how about we play something more fun then. Anyone have a better game then?” He asked.
“She is perfect,” Rue enthused, proud as Lektra was complimented. His tail swayed in a pleased fashion, flicking back and forth playfully and sending a trifecta of shiny glints all over.
This was getting out of control, fast. Suggesting cutting back was one thing, but sobriety? Good heavens, what did people think she was, a fun-hating Jedi?
“How about we try a sampler, instead? It’s a lot of small glasses of different drinks, so you can try different kinds without getting over-drunk. I’ll get us some food, too. Does anyone have a pazaak deck?”
Zehsaa was standing at the side, half leaning against a wall and looking back and forth between what was unfolding. Erinyes seemed to be pretty busy with handling the situation and she might have spotted Reiden between the peoples as well. She wasn’t sure he had seen her, though.
“What is payh-zaak?” Rue asked, blinking at all the faces. Though he was growing more assured, it was still several new people and a new activity and the whole fair at once, so he stayed close to Savran’s side, near enough their clothes would brush and his tail would flick near her ankles, almost to assure they were their should a latch be needed.
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“Ooooh Pazzaak? You know I have seen it played, never got into it. I am curious to play for sure if someone has a deck.” He smiled. “You know, I wouldn’t mind a glass of some Elysium sunrise if you have some.”
“It’s a card game. Each person gets dealt a certain number of cards. The goal is to make the numbers on the cards add up to 20, but not more than that.”
She nodded to Vance and stood up. “More drinks for anyone else? I’ll see if the bar has a pazaak deck.”
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Savi placed a hand on Rue’s shoulder, sensing the subtle uncurrent of nervousness buzzing in his mind. They were going to answer his question, but Erinyes had that covered.
“I could go for a game or two of pazaak,” they said before taking another sip of their drink, “Been a while.”
Rue gamely balanced taking a seat at the gathering table and kept to his one drink, vigilant to take a shadier spot despite his love of the sunlight so Lektra would not be overly exposed to sunlight – though of course she had the sunscreen on – and go make sure she didn’t need her bottle or cuppy or binky. As the others settled and Erinyes went to find a ‘deck,’ Rue asked, “What are cards?” <@645466919415054357>
“They’re little rectangular pieces usually made of paper or some other material with symbols on them that have different depending on the game.”
“Oh!” the hybrid exclaimed, nodding along. “Yes, this one has seen these around at places! Often at the, ah…” He thought for a moment for the word. “…the bars. Which are not like those of a cell.”
Mikhail’s eyebrows knit as the Napkin was held out to him. They could find an mirror so he could correct it. He had brought along the makeup he used in case it needed to be fixed. He wasn’t so sure why he brought it, but was half glad he did.
He pulled his glasses off, tilting his face upwards towards the Pantoran and holding his eye shut in preparation. Obviously, he was accepting the help. “Have you ever used it? I have more if it’s bad enough to need a touch up.” His hand patted at his chest, feeling a lump there of various just-in-case tools
Nathan was very glad he had steady hands. From working in the dingy engine bays where one wrong move could get you burned or electrocuted, to being on the Void Voidbreakers finer machinery with safer yet narrower margins of effort, never mind his experience on the field as a medic, he’d learned how to steady his actions and work smoothly even when his heart was racing.
It was silly how fast it was beating right now of all times but it was fine. Fine.
“Not make up exactly, but i.. should be able to get it to match.” Nate answered softly, leaning down and carefully folding the napkin, getting a sharp line before even more carefully brushing it against the side of Mikhail’s eye, using a thumb to help keep the Arkanian still. It took a few moments to get it in the right shape and width, but other than being slightly faded there wasn’t a notable difference in the eye liner.
“There.” He leaned away again, flushing again. “Its not as good as it was before but, I don’t think anyone will notice unless they look really close.”
Mikhail was not unfamiliar with having someone touch up his makeup. He occasionally even had a friend practice make up on him, she showed him how best to do it. But whenever he tried, it never came out quite as good as hers. So it didn’t take much thought for a hand to slip into his jacket and dig out a small black Vial. He held it in his palm, offering it to Nathan as the Pantoran finished cleaning.
“Here, if you think you can?” His face was already unique enough, he didn’t quite favor the idea of walking around with further imperfections
“Yeah Pazaak sounds great!” He smiled as he decided to go ahead and sit down at the table. He felt a lot better now that Rue, Erinyes, Raiden and Savi were at least close, helped him settle a bit better and he really enjoyed seeing how inquisitive Rue was about everything.
“This one– I would like to learn,” Rue rejoined softly, shy as his tail flicked to curl close and he glanced between the gathered faces without making eye contact, but a nervous smile still lifted to Vance’s enthusiasm. Lektra dozed lightly in her harness, soothed with him.
Nathan glanced to the other eye where the make up was still correct. He probably could? There was no reason he couldn’t.
He took the eyeliner gently, nodding a little before inhaling slowly. Steadying his nerves. Face still partially trying to turn a shade of lavender, Nate leaned closer to get a good look before carefully re-applying it to the other eye. It likely wouldn’t be perfect but it did look better with a fresh coat. He just had to focus on the make up. The Make Up.
Not the bright blue eyes far more visible behind their sunglasses than they usually were from this angle.
Reiden couldn’t help but smile when Erinyes had mentioned pazaak. It had been a long time since he had last played the card game. He still remembered learning it on Nar Shaddaa years ago, from a former co-worker, one could call him, right as their friendship was truly beginning to take root. The basics had been easy enough to grasp, and the cards that could add or take away points were an interesting addition. It had been a fun way to pass the time when they didn’t have anything else to do and he had even played against a computer when his services weren’t in use by his boss.
He waved off the Zeltron’s offer of another drink as he still had plenty left in the one he had ordered earlier. He took a sip of it, glancing to the sky. The weather on Arx was enjoyable, a far cry from his early days on Caina, the ice world in the Cocytus system where he had briefly been stationed upon joining Scholae Palatinae. He would need to make it a point to stop here more often. Besides, a change of scenery every now and then was helpful.
As the others moved to sit at a table, he made the decision to watch instead, at least for the moment. With a more open area, he was able to more clearly see the Togruta that had accompanied Erinyes. Now, more than ever, he was certain that his initial assumption had been right.
“Zehsaa?” he asked as he walked over, smiling. “I haven’t seen you in a long time. How have you been?” <@417336769181122562>