Open Social Birthday Skirmishes: Red v. Blue

[Samara Draven]

From time to time, when she thought she could get away with it, Samara would peer out from behind the steel drum toward the sidelines where she knew the Jedi Knight was standing. She could already picture the lengthy hours of detention that might await her following this friendly game of paintball. All she could do was hope the Knight had a forgiving and understanding disposition.

Trying to get her head back in the game, Samara gripped the paintball gun tighter, the weapon still feeling entirely foreign in her hands. At Ruzaan's suggestion, she popped her head up, staring over the top of the barrel and hoping to get a line on the Togruta. She'd heard rumors. Stomach-churning rumors actually, about Togruta dietary habits, and should they be true, she hated to think what "delicacies" he would subject her to. "Don't you eat ra—"
Red paint struck her on both shoulders, just as she caught sight of the Togruta's montrals. He'd been waiting for her, and he'd been ready. She blew out a puff of air, a loose strand of hair twirling away from her face as she raised her hands in surrender and made her way toward the sidelines. "I'm out!" she called out to anyone in the vicinity, just in case they decided to shoot at her again.

Once outside, she joined Maura, peering through the net in at the other contestants still competing. "I'm out too." That made two of them on Red Team. A playful grin spread across her face as she added, "I guess it gives me plenty of time for brooding, huh?" Just what every Goth needed the most.

Defense against Ruzaan: 69/100 @SlagathorTheUnknown @lizziie @Wit @Black Noise @Alhon @AsenMahawa

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura pouted when Samara got out. That was two out on her team, and one on theirs (though Ciri hadn't exited the arena). But they still had a chance! "C'MON RATH! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU JUST GOTTA GET THE OTHER TWO!" she yelled as loud as she could, then cleared her throat and gave Samara a little wave when she joined Maura outside the net.

"Brooding sounds boring," Maura replied with an exaggerated look of boredom on her face. "If I were goth I wouldn't brood. I'd be a non-brooding goth and I'd start a band and play the electric guitar and wear funky face paint," she declared, failing to suppress the giggle that followed.

"What'd you bring earlier? Drinks?" Maura turned away from the match to look over where she'd set the boxes Maura had seen her bring in. Upon seeing them, her eyes widened and lit up. "Oh, cool, energy drinks! I've never had one before!" It wouldn't come as a surprise, but some effort had been put in to keep caffeine away from the hyperactive padawan. The girl immediately made a beeline for them and called out, "What's your favorite flavor?"

tags: @SlagathorTheUnknown @llamallove @Wit @Black Noise @Alhon @AsenMahawa

 

[Samara Draven]

Samara had never thought of herself as a goth, and until today had never been referred to as one either, but she had to assume goths did a lot of brooding. Maura's ideas, however, weren't half bad. At least she liked the one about the electric guitar. She wasn't sold on the face paint. "I will take your suggestions into consideration," the Chalactan chuckled, shaking her head back and forth. Maura's personality, she was discovering, did not differ from her online presence on Switter. The latter of which tended to be... chaotic, but not necessarily in a bad way.
At the refreshments table, the Padawan picked up a bottle of water. She'd already drunk one energy drink on the way here and decided she had better not risk another. "Of these?" she clarified, violet eyes perusing the assortment of limited edition holiday flavors she'd brought with her. "Definitely Ho Ho Hunk." She picked up the green can and handed it to Maura, should she wish to try it. Making small talk while the others finished the round of paintball, she added, "Soooo. You a fan?"

She referred, of course, to Emryc Thorne himself, the President of the ISC and the face staring up at them through slate eyes, his face plastered across the side of each and every can of energy that bore his name. Samara's interests did not lie in politics, and she had never joined the President's fan club, even though she had several friends who had. But speaking of fan clubs... "I got to meet Captain Almania (@Wit ) once. Even got a picture with him. Want to see?" Of course it was the screen saver on her phone. @lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Of Emryc Thorne?" Maura questioned aloud, thinking about it for a second. He'd shown up on Thyferra years ago when she was younger, and she did recall thinking that was pretty cool. She hadn't gotten to meet him though. "Mmm-nnnot really? I think it'd be cool to meet him but I wouldn't say I'm a fan." she answered after her deliberation. "I tried his routine for a week once!" she quickly added. "I didn't end up sticking to it though. Being vegetarian sucks."

After she finished talking, she accepted the 'Ho Ho Hunk' drink from Samara and used one of her clawed fingernails to open the metal tab with ease. She took a big swig, her eyes widening as the liquid hit her tongue. Almost comically, she seemed to be instantly vitalized.

"Yeah? Who's that?" Maura had no idea, but she immediately leaned over to peer at Samara's phone screen. "Oh cool! Do you wanna see mine?" She pulled out her datapad to show Samara. "It's a rainbow! I took it! It's over the temple on Yavin," she explained.

"Where'd you and Ruz meet?" she asked having noticed their banter on the paintball field.

tag: @llamallove

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

"I... need a shower" Ruzaan admitted, squelching his way off the paintball pitch. The Togruta looked like a grenade of blue paint had gone off right in his face. Although slightly embarrassed that he'd managed to get himself "out", Ruzaan couldn't help but grin. He'd gotten the equivalent of an entire paintball team out in this match, which was normal to want and possible to achieve.

Although he'd missed the beginning of their conversation, Ruzaan had no qualms about wandering over to Maura or Samara. Good friends were hard to find, and both girls were people that he wanted to get to know better. He removed his eye protection, leaving a goggle-shaped space around his eyes as the only spot on his face that wasn't blue. "I didn't even know it was possible to reload incorrectly" he said, shaking his head in bewilderment.

@lizziie @llamallove

 

[Samara Draven]

"Captain Almania?" the Chalactan repeated, one eyebrow raised in mock surprise, as if she couldn't believe Maura had never heard of him. "He's one of the greatest superheroes of all time." Fictional superhero, that is. Shoving the data phone back into the pocket of her jeans, she added, "And he's smoking." Otherwise she probably never would have bothered wading through the crowd at that music festival to ask for a picture with him.
Samara peered over the other teenager's shoulder and at the screensaver on her phone. "You took that?" She blinked, staring at the image. "It's beautiful. Almost looks professional." A wave of nostalgia hit her, but she tried not to let it show. She still couldn't believe the Sith had invaded Yavin IV. That it was no longer the Jedi's safe haven. No longer their home. That they could never return.

Those, however, were thoughts for another day. Not for a birthday party. "Ruzaan?" The question pulled her from her thoughts. "We met on Yavin. He stumbled upon my training spot one morning." Now they met every week, schedules allowing, to train together. Sometimes in hand-to-hand combat, sometimes with their blades. "We'll have to find a new spot to train now, I suppose. You're welcome to join us," the Chalactan offered, assuming Ruzaan wouldn't mind.

Speaking of the Togruta. "What happened to you?" she asked, trying not to laugh at the sight of him, his face and montrals covered in blue paint. It looked like it had exploded in his face. @lizziie @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Oh? A superhero? It made sense Maura wasn't familiar with the name then. She didn't read comics or watch superhero movies, so the reference had flown right over her head. "Oh, cool!" Her remark went for both the superhero and her answer for how she'd met Ruzaan.

"You okay Ruz? You're looking a little blue," she giggled, emphasizing the pun in her sentence. "You should probably wash that off before we eat cake," she suggested, pointing over to a nearby bathroom. "Trust me. Paint doesn't not taste any good." She'd definitely ingested it before, and even she couldn't enjoy the taste of chemical colors.

tags: @llamallove @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan had been expecting a snarky remark from Samara, but he wasn't prepared for Maura to make... a pun?!?! The Togruta's jaw dropped slightly as his brain processed the wordplay, eyes flicking over to Samara in a did you also hear that? glance. Maura never ceased to surprise him. "I... uh..." Ruzaan answered Samara's question by pantomiming pulling the canister off his paintball gun, followed by an explosion towards his face. Maura was right; he did need to get rid of some of this paint, but washing it off was somewhat anticlimactic. He'd gotten both Maura and Samara out, and yet they were significantly less painted than he; something Ruzaan was only too happy to try and rectify.

"Cake can wait, though... didn't you hear what the next activity is?" he asked them, adopting an air of dramatic innocence. Ruzaan then wiped his palm on his face, and it came away very blue; the movement coinciding with a wicked smile.

"Tag!"

@llamallove @lizziie