Ask Coruscant New Horizons

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music IC

Horizon One. It sounded like the name of a cantina. Also a starship. It was neither. The shopping mall on Coruscant hummed and buzzed as vibrant as a lightsaber, a comparison that Vayla regretted as soon as it entered her head. She had had enough of lightsabers, hand dances and old robes for one day and decided she would waste this one by going on a shopping spree.

As predicted, she had not actually bought anything in the past hour or two, and that absence of time was exactly what she had been hoping for. Losing herself in the moment, letting the goings-on of the galaxy go on without her for just one day, reducing the universe to a single building of five storeys and many stories more. It did yet all seem a tad too ostentatious for one Pantoran as she passed by a shop selling glitzy clothing that she would never wear. How could anyone? Look at that dress! Why’s it sparkling like it’s covered in stars!? She sighed at the folly, content with the tan leather jacket she wore and the black pants and boots beneath. Not much need for much else.

Opposite that shop was a shop filled with the latest comlinks on the market. Her own did everything she needed it to. Did she actually need an update to that Coconut 12S? In between both shops was a kiosk possessed by a Zeltron smiling at every passerby while waving one of her many colorful necklaces. Vayla smiled but ambled along. It looked pretty but not practical. Might strangle me in combat.

What drew her eye was the food court. All this browsing and wandering, leisurely though it was, caused her stomach to growl. It didn’t help that every other shopper was waltzing while munching on a pretzel or ice cream or donut if they weren’t also sipping on coffee. So Vayla toured that food court with a passion, spotting signs for noodles, burgers, pizza, yogurt, vegetables and an interior cafe beside them. She went for the noodles.

“Hello!” Vayla greeted the clerk across the counter.

“Welcome to Noodle’s Noogles, er, Noggle’s Noozled, eh, welcome to Noogle’s Noodles, miss!” The young Zabrak male blinked in mild embarrassment. “What’ll you have?”

“Hmm, let’s see...I’ll have the...um...is that...yeah I’ll, hm, no no wait...lemme uhhhhh….OH I’ll definitely have the...hmm…”

The clerk frowned. Vayla was suddenly in danger of stepping out of line, quite literally. What in seven stars do I actually want?


@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Malls were not Sevrin’s thing. Whatsoever. However, being around young padawans all day every day meant he was bound to be dragged to some social environments every now and then. He had been brought here at the behest of one of his students, and he decided he liked the noodles from a particular shop.

Unfortunately, he was standing right behind a woman that was just as flustered and confused as the clerk. Sevrin was normally a patient man, but he had training to return to. He heard a bit more of her babbling and indecisiveness before he finally stepped in.

“What about some glass noodles with pan seared bantha strips topped with toki toki sauce?” He rattled off easily enough. It was a combination that he was partial to and sounded like anyone could enjoy. Sevrin would see if she ordered that or not and follow up with his own order of the spicy version of that dish.

Sevrin never made a point of hiding that he was a Jedi. He didn't care about the glares or looks of admiration he received. He was adorned in tan Jedi robes that made him stick out like a sore thumb on top of being a very, very tall individual.

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

“Mmm-hmm yes, why that does sound like a swell suggest—” Vayla just then registered the six-foot-plus individual who had recommended the dish. She looked him in the eye; electric blue prosthetics meeting his silver gaze. The robes, as tan as her jacket. Those robes were also as telling as her own, ones that she had neglected to don this day on account of not being on Jedi business. Any other day and the pair might have stuck out like two sore thumbs.

“Toki toki, please!” Vayla called to the clerk with an enthusiastic snap of her fingers.

“Spicy or not?”

“Yes!”

The clerk blinked and moments later one Pantoran and one Sephi were served the spicy version of that dish. Cellophane noodles were always a delight to the eyes. Vayla gazed down at her bowl and caught a whiff of the seared bantha strips. As a Bothan almost forced her out of the line, she repositioned herself beside the Sephi. Cues were not Vayla’s thing, nor malls for that matter. Yet, as comfortable as she was meditating in silence, sometimes it was the noise of a crowd that she needed to lose herself within.

“Thank you, sir,” she gave a simple bow of her head. “Dine with me?”

She hoped the Sephi would oblige. Vayla was in the mood for some idle conversation with a stranger, even if she did not harbor any immediate intention of exchanging com numbers. To boot, this Sephi was no mere stranger—he was evidently a member of her very own order. To get the same impression of her, well, perhaps he had but to wait and find out, if not sense the Force signature that was not being concealed.




@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin was pleasantly surprised when the woman invited him to join her. He grabbed his own bowl of noodles and considered what he had on his plate for the day. The Sephi nodded and walked over to follow her lead to a table. He sat down across her, eyeing her curiously for a moment.

“Think I’ve seen you on Yavin,” He stated quietly as he regarded her. Sevrin had been spending far more time at the temple there after the Denon incident. While the Sephi was not one to hold onto regrets, moving on past his absence where Talak and Max both died proved to be difficult.

Sevrin toyed with the noodles for a moment as he looked around them, his sharp ears picking up idle chit chat and conversations even if he didn’t wish to hear them, “Rather unorthodox place for a Jedi,” He looked back at her with mild curiosity, “I’m here because some of my padawans insisted on some variety in clothing,” Sevrin shook his head slightly, clear not comprehending why simple robes weren’t good enough.

"I'm Sevrin, by the way."

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

On their way to the table, Vayla narrowly evaded a pair of kids playing tag. The boy had almost knocked over the girl. The girl had almost knocked over the woman’s toki toki. That would have been unfortunate.

Reaching a safe place, the Jedi tucked into her seat and then into her meal. A string of noodles was half-slurp between her lips when the other Jedi spoke of Yavin. Her gaze met his. Has he? Have I seen him? She could not pinpoint his face. And those eyes are as difficult to forget as my own. Maybe that was how he remembered her in the first place, or maybe her memory was just worse than his.

Vayla swallowed her bite and nodded, amused at the man’s assessment of their location, locale and the locals—and also at his comment on clothing. He wasn’t wrong about this being an odd place, but for his endeavors it also appeared to be just the right place.

“Vayla.” She began to reach her right hand forward, spotted the toki toki spattered upon the palm, withdrew with an ahem! “Eh, nothing wrong with donning the robes. I do so often enough. I guess I just learned that a varied wardrobe reflects my varied moods. I’m just as comfortable seeking the silence of a library as I am the sounds of a cantina.” She shrugged. “Depends on the circumstances, like whether a bowl of noodles is spicy or not.”

With that, Vayla soaked a bantha strip in a cup of sauce, slipped it into her mouth, and wondered what her frozen countenance might look like. I...should have ordered some milk...



@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin’s gaze flicked down to the extended hand. He had spotted the sauce there but it didn’t bother him, and he moved to shake it until it was quickly withdrawn. Amusement glinted in his eye, though there was no smile on his face.

Though he didn’t externally express it, he did find it amusing that she took his commentary to mean he found something odd about wearing the robes. His gaze lowered down to his own state of attire, never having particularly cared about appearing Jedi in public. This was especially curious as he was a Shadow and often disguised himself quite a bit when he worked undercover. He looked up again at the end of the commentary.

“That dish is most certainly spi-” He watched as she found out for herself. Sevrin looked around and didn’t spot anything that could assist save for his cup of water. He nudged it towards her, his expression always a fixed stoic so at least she wouldn’t have someone smirking at her misfortune.

“Have you come here then for a wardrobe update or the ambient sounds?” Just as he asked the question, his pointed ears twitched from the shrill scream of a few passing teenage girls. Even though he dealt with such nonsense from some padawans, he would never get used to it.

@Die Shize

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

Vayla found nothing odd about robes but she knew that others did, Jedi or not. Personally, Sevrin looked quite formidable in his own. She had time to observe while she sat there with her mouth on fire before chugging back the water. That either did the trick or tricked her mind into thinking it did depending on the capsaicin levels present in the toki toki sauce. Oh well, there was a yogurt shop nearby.

While Vayla thought of wardrobe updates, including the stores she had passed that were far too glitzy and glamorous, she didn’t really need to think of the ambient sounds—a group of passing teenage girls had done so for her. Each one of them had their head turned toward the Jedi’s table and, quite specifically, toward the male Jedi sitting at said table. The female just blinked it all away.

“I came here to get lost,” Vayla answered plainly, taking another sip of water and hoping that her counterpart wasn’t planning on having her return the cup. “I…” She hesitated. “... I found some dark things in my day, Knight Sevrin.” Knight? Master? She would have remembered him if the latter.

“I’ve lost my master, my Padawan, my friends…” She shook her head as though having forgotten she was not alone. “...And maybe I have lost things that I should never have been attached to in the first place, but...darkness has a way of taking you away...like a shadow in the night…”

Despite realizing her own cryptic tongue, it was all she could do to stare after those girls who had giggled away, almost envying their bliss. After all, ever since the shadows had torn across the cosmos, Vayla’s had never been the same. A red blade of hate...

"Sorry," she afforded a smile. "I have a tendency to ramble."

@Sreeya