Ask Glitter in my Eyes

[Ryan Stellos]

Lieutenant Stellos was no stranger to escort missions and usually they were no big deal. USUALLY. Apperently sometimes they were. As his Commander had suddenly approached him and delivered the news of how he was supposed to escort the Emperor's own daughter, it had costed him a lot to maintain is professional poise. He was a soldier, thus he had plenty of field experience, but this was something totally new...

A simple Lieutenant like him protecting Keira Drast? He had accepted the task with a faked, polite smile, but once back in the barracks, he had needed a few moments to process the news. Should he have been proud? He literally didn't know whether it was an honor and he should be proud, or whether it was time to freak out. It was a huge responsibility, but as more details started piling in, his nervousity was slightly eased.

It was not like he was escorting her to anything diplomatic, but apperently it was 'just' a gala of some sort. An auction was included, some show acts, but nothing wild. Was that any better? Perhaps...he's never been to such an event before, but from what he imagined, he was just about to walk around and keep an eye on her...they weren't on dangerous ground and it was just one night. He kept telling himself it would be alright...

With a deep sigh, he had composed himself again and had quickly sprung under the shower. When he was slipping into a crisp, dark blue suit that had been laid out for him, his heart was only mildly racing. He styled his hair and noticed that it had been ages since he had groomed himself for a night out, but with one last reassuring look in the mirror, he figured he'd somehow manage to blend in with the crowd.

A speeder limousine had been sent to his location and they were supposed to pick up Keira right after, but as he slipped into the vehicle he did notice that he was still relatively nervous. Overplaying it all professionally, he leaned back and forced some tension out of his muscles. Weapons weren't allowed in the hall and authorities present, so even if he felt a little empty without a blaster or a holster, he once again he told himself that it was just an event and probably a piece of a cake to just keep an eye on the Emperor's daughter...he truly hoped it

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Drast]

Keira’s usual bodyguard was out sick. Which she found incredibly unprofessional. As a result, they scrambled to find her a new one and found someone from IAF. What Ryan likely didn’t realize was that this was a fashion gala, which meant there were going to be some interesting choices of clothing. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the destination to pick her up.

The Emperor’s daughter was dressed in a statement piece, wearing a snobby expression as she silently judged his choice of speeder. He stepped out and her eyes narrowed. How old was this guy?

“You’re late,” She snapped. No he wasn’t. He just wasn’t ten minutes early like her normal bodyguard. Her ridiculously inflated sleeves and dress train flared out around her, “How am I supposed to get into that speeder?” She asked, her patience already wearing thin. They had to figure out a way to cram her into a vehicle to take her to this gala. Keira crossed her ridiculously poofy arms and waited for the man to offer a solution.

@LadyRen

 

[Ryan Stellos]

Ryan nervously patted his knee with his right hand before the speeder came to a halt. He hasn't even fully been aware of having absently stared into nowhere but now that they weren't moving any longer, his head turned. The light brown eyes immediately found an odd fire hydrant until his cornea focused.

What he had thought was a hydrant was actually a blonde woman, dressed in something that looked like the Malachor man had a love child with a monster that wore its bowels on the outside...Keira Drast! Fuck. Ryan's jaw flapped down but the soldier immediately tried to collect himself behind the tinted windows. What the kriff was she wearing?

With the initial shock digested, for a moment a nervous laughter escape. Was this seriously happening? What he found amusing soon turned into something else as he questioned whether they were about to drive to an high event that somehow included such we-...interesting style choices.

He took a deep breath, realizing he had remained inside for a few moments so that he was probably annoying her already, so he cleared his throat and alighted. "Good evening, Lady Drast". His smile was all professional, but he actually had to keep himself from studying the odd dress any further.

"Late?". Was he even late? He checked his Chrono but figured it wasn't his place to judge. He was picking up the Emperor's daughter..."I sincerely apologize...". This was off to a great start. "Uhm". Fuck. An actual prblem. What was he supposed to do now? "I'm pretty sure you'll fit into the back row". Oh he honestly wasn't sure.... He seriously questioned whether she'd fit in a damn cruiser with that, but he wasn't going to take any chances with letting her wait any longer.

As she wasn't moving, he opened the door as widely as possible before he waited for herbto step closer. Why hadn't they told him this wasn't a regular night out? He was afraid of where they were going, but luckily it was his tactical brain that flicked into action. "Is this coat...attached to the...nevermind. Can you try to step in diagonally? I'll help you with all that...fabric". He went down on one knee, aiming for the lush hem of the bottom part of her dress, trying to be as helpful and careful as possible. This dress was probably more expensive than he made in a year so he wasn't going to risk any damage.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Drast]

She looked decidedly unamused as the man fumbled over his words. Was this his first time working as a bodyguard? He looked fit for an old guy, but he was way out of his depths when it came to handling someone of her status. As he made suggestions on how she could get in, she looked scandalized and scoffed, “Am I supposed to fold like a lawn chair?” She snapped, fuming.

In the end, however, she did awkwardly manage to squeeze herself with his help. He almost suffocated a few times with the highly padded material. At one point his head was caught between a poof and the side of the speeder and she practically stepped on his face to plop into the back of the speeder. After some swimming and struggling, she finally found her seat, leaving Ryan looking like he returned from war.

“I will need you with me at all times at the gala,” She said moodily as he got into the drivers’ seat to get them going. Doubtless he would need to catch his breath after that traumatic ordeal.

“And sample foods I want to try. No doubt there are people out there that want to poison me,” She said urgently. Her father may have presented a cool and calm image, but he had his paranoia when it came to family.

@LadyRen

 

[Ryan Stellos]

"Could also fasten you on the roof", the joke just escaped him without thinking twice. Damn. Was that offensive? Giving her judgmental stares, everything was. He still managed to suppress a chuckle and immediately busied himself with the work, hoping she'd simply overhear it.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ryan eagerly started pushing, folding and squeezing. He was carefully with the dresses natural creases, not wanting to disrupt them, but he was hit by a few flashbacks while at it: In basic training, he had been forced to crawl to the thickest thicket he had ever encountered and somehow this had huge resemblance to it.

Also, he almost suffocated twice, simply because his whole head was swallowed by the masses of fabric, so that when the Heiress was finally inside, he actively suppressed japping for air and pushed the door shut before he took some deep breaths outside. His hair was destroyed and he comb his hands through it as best as he could to safe what was possible before he climbed back inside, doing his best to seem completely unbothered by the unforseen incidents he had just managed.

"I won't leave your side and keep you safe", he ensured her, hoping that with the actual job, he'd perform better. As she mentioned the food samples, his gaze flicked to her through the rear view mirror before a determined "of course" followed. "Is there anything else I need to know about this...event?". He had clearly missed the dress code, so he prefered to be prepared for whatever else was about to come. Guarding people was up his alley, but guarding her was a whole different ordeal it seemed.

@Sreeya