Open Social Sernpidal Prom Night / Formal Night

[Heidi Vulpis]

Oh! Armen agreed! While he had nothing to offer, knowing he'd have Heidi's back was a huge relief. That alone would have been reason enough to jump in. But then Hiraya chimed in, offering his belt and a small rope. She waited patiently for his makeshift... well, she wasn't sure what to call it. Belt-string-cord-pully? In any case, once he threw it at her, she eagerly caught it. And just as eagerly she wrapped it around her waist, securing it firmly.

She tugged the belt and cord once to ensure it was safe and looked up with the brightest smile. Even though she had always been radiant, nothing could match the joy and warmth in her eyes. The suns of Tatooine paled in comparison. "I'll come back with the plushies we've all worked hard for!" she said excitedly. The "Heidz" caught her off guard, but not in a bad way; clearly, it was a name that made her happy.

Heidi took one last look at the rules board before diving in; she wasn't going to break the rules to do this, obviously.
- No Force (obviously)
- Only once per turn (well, she'd just had her turn, so this was a new turn)
- Don't stick your hand in the machine's opening (she assumed this was to avoid grabbing a toy from the machine, which meant that one of the rules had to be that the toy could only fall through the opening)

And with that in mind, Heidi swung her legs over the edge. "If I pull on the cord, please pull me back up! Ready?!" She was ecstatic. After Heidi received the all-clear, she started to lower herself into the machine, trusting that the cord Hiraya was gripping would slow her down.

Heidi immediately noticed that it was far more cramped than she imagined, thanks to her bushy tail. It awkwardly curled up above her own body, trying to not tangle the string. It obscured some of the light from above, but thankfully, the entire machine was made of glass, so there were plenty of other outside light sources to guide the way. To ensure she didn't touch anything that wasn't a plushy, Heidi made sure to mimic the shape of the claw with her body, her legs and arms extending downwards, aiming at the plushies.

Only problem; There were so many plushies from her point of view that she had no idea where to aim. "It was on the right, right?" Heidi's voice was half-muted, trapped between the four walls of glass, but the sound managed to reach the two Jedi.

---

tag @marshland @Die Shize ​

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie shook her head, somehow keeping the plate of food held up for Keck in one hand. She was just about ready to regain her composure when Theia hurried over. Natalie took a couple deep breaths and straightened out, making sure that he eyes were anywhere but where ever Mr. Jawline and DaddyFrost was, lest she tumble into a breathless fit again. You win again, Mr. Jawline. You win again.

"No, I'm good," she said, giving one last huff of breath to clear the color from her cheeks. She hadn't blushed like that in... well... ever, actually. Now her face hurt. Curse her inability to be a lightweight with spiked punch! "Just saw something really seeaaaaaaaaoooh weird. Yeah. Something really weird." Good catch Natalie. No one noticed a thing. If they did, you're a Jedi so good luck getting away with murder.

She tapped Keck's leg. "Back to your regularly scheduled dancing, buddy." Her hazel eyes turned to Theia, a little sway coming back to her hips without her mind's permission. No amount of stern talking to's in the mirror was going to fix this catastrophe; her body was simply betraying her tonight. Shame. Gonna have to throw the whole thing away now. Trade it in, and get a new one. "You look nice."

@Shalken @GABA

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred took the drink gingerly and ran it between his mouth tendrils into his toothless maw. Before swallowing it, the Nu-Vaal allowed the liquid to soak into his taste buds, letting the sweetness mingled with the touches of sour fruit juice whelm his tatebuds. The experience was exquisite, and Alhazred reminded himself to get more later.

"If that is your plan, then all my hopes go out with you. But I fear that such processes take generations throughout eons to accomplish. You would be, literally if you wanted to bring life to Tatooine, planting trees for the shadows you would never enjoy. I'm not sure many would have such patience to play such long lasting strategies. But hope can accomplish what most consider impossible, so all the more power to you."

However, the part of the conversation that caught the Nu-Vaals attention was the talk about Tython. He had heard bits and pieces of the planet, but nothing very concrete. In fact, he had been lately hearing rumors of a so called 'Tython Table' made by the ancient Je'daii.

At the returning questions, Alhazred straightened up.

"The sun is nothing special. A yellow orb that the planet orbits that the station orbit in turn in mathematical perfection. Every 7 Corescant days, a day passes on Yag'Dhul, and in turn, every 7 days I witness the sun rise. But what is truly fascinating are Yag'Dhul's moons. Imagine three orbits of rock and ice with such power that the planet below literally bends and squeezes so badly that the atmosphere stretches and follows where the moons go. In one hour, you could be breathing life-giving oxygen. In the next, choking on the emptiness of the void. If you could analyze their patterns, you could tell when a super-eclipse would occur. That is what the Givin revere: the apparent chaos of the universe, and the ability to decipher it with pure mathematical equations. The secret orders of the cosmos, available for any who have the mind and willpower to decipher it. Just like the Force and its mysteries for me...

But as for my own people..."

Alhazred sighed as his memory turned to the information given to him by his host. "Vaal is much, much different. I've heard it described as a paradise. Shallow waters, temperate islands, and a sacred mountain that came from the heavens itself. The purple and blue hues of the skies shudder and blink as ionic storms overhead give permanent light glows, and the Great Ziggurat of the dead god..."

Alhazred sighed as he could only dream of that sacred place. "The mountain...the Great Ziggurat: maligned monument and consecrated cathedral; birthplace of life from the unmaker, and buriel ground for the intruder. Its shadow is viewable from every corner of Vaal. The worship of the Dead God enacted in full force begins and ends there. Where death occurs, so life can grow. But where life grows, so does death eagerly awaits. Only the void itself ignores the rules that the stars hope to enact on everyone..."

Alhazred looked at Scorpio, a twinkle of depression lingering in his black eyes. "If you ever hear rumors of such a place, I implore you to speak with me first. Such a location should never be treaded towards without thought. "

Alhazred took another breath of weed and closed his eyes, letting the euphoria run over him. "Your parents..." Alhazred suddenly changed the topic. "Odd for darkness and light to meet and produce a child. Enlighten me further on that"

@Mythos

 

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Both of you have tails. Should use those too. Armen kept his thoughts to himself, shrugged it off. All set up, then, he decided he may as well keep watch. Guilty by association... Great...

Most folks were still at the dance floor, or sitting and drinking, a smaller number actually playing any games. Most of these machines didn’t need consistent maintenance anyway. A couple of custodians. Guardians? As if someone was going to steal a plushy…

“Ready,” Armen confirmed as Heidi got into position. However, it would be Hiraya’s job to pull their partner out as Armen kept watch. At least he played the part of not looking obvious given his nonchalance.

"It was on the right, right?"

“Right.”

Whichever direction that idiot Chevin was in, amid a bit of a muffled voice between four walls, no trouble was in store for these thieves just yet. Good thing I'm not in the graduation ceremony... If either of his partners were, well, they better not get caught.

"All right, Heinz. Nobody in my line of sight. We're clear."

For now. Things could change any moment somehow. Glancing back at the glass, trying to spy where Ketchup was at, he wondered if she might find treasure somewhere under there not just some dumb Chevin.

@LilyNion @marshland

 

[Keck]

Happy that the other Snack Squad member was no longer sick, Keck let out a slurred cheer. "Nalie OKAY!" Everything was right with the world once again.

However, after several more minutes of balancing the snack plate while frivolous arm-flailing, Keck couldn't help but notice the stage nearby that was populated by some other Padawans. They appeared to be singing! Normally the diminutive Jedi wasn't much of a singing type, but tonight? Why not.

While waiting for the paddies to finish their piece, Keck hopped down from his friend's shoulders to down another bowlful of the fruity warm-feeling juice stuff. Wobbling over to the now-empty podium, Keck stepped up and picked an old classic. Well, an old classic to him, perhaps. Belting out the song, Keck was blissfully unaware that he was no longer speaking Basic and had reverted to his mother tongue.

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia was relieved that Natalie was okay, though was oddly suspicious to the way she described something she saw being weird. The redheaded girl turned her head, trying to catch a glimpse of anything that would be weird or out of place, though they were in a room mostly full of socially awkward padawans. She guessed that was legit weirdness itself, she was not surprised that there would be something weirder. The gecko jedi beside her was reassured she was doing okay and was permitted to go back to dancing.

He seemed joyful to see that Natalie was okay and quickly scampered along eventually climbing to the stage where he took over the holo-mic to sing in the most adorable language Theia has ever heard. She turned to look back at Natalie who said something about her dress, but as she did, she felt suddenly...funny; her limbs felt wobbly, her world continued to turn around her and the girl needed to blink a few times as she too, had hips that involuntarily went to swaying.

"Tanks, your dress makes you look like a prince-sess" Theia spoke, words slurring together, not that the girl minded, she was actually feeling pretty good, "You can be a frincesses with me, we get a big house, new speeters, and only invite people in who bring sus foobs."

@Shalken @TheDudeMike

 

[Alienor Pom Blodau]

Linny was torn. She knew Kaedan was teasing her by referring to her as a Lady, but actually, well... Lady Alienor was her actual title. If she was at a ball back home, she'd be announced as that. She might've been awkward, overly emotional, strangely nervous and socially strange, but even Linny knew that walking around referring to her title might just alienate potential friends. She resorted to turning her head towards him and sticking her tongue out at him quickly. Not exactly refined behaviour, but he earned that reaction.

"It can be! Most of the time people just use it to get up close to people they want to know. For like, politics and stuff. Or marriage offers. If you've got people in your House approaching adulthood you'll get some offers," Linny shared, before looking up at him with a finger up. "And no, before you ask, not me." He didn't need to know that part of the reason she went with the Jedi was to escape the interest that would no doubt be coming.

Linny didn't delay when it came to the foodstuffs. Grabbing some of the breads, she speared them on the sticks and stuck it in the gloriously sloppy melted cheese. It didn't take long before she was slipping them into her mouth, lips curling up in appreciation. The tips of her ears quivered in cheese-based delight.

"Iloveyousomuchcheese," she muttered quietly after finishing her first few sticks before she grabbed a cup from the side of the punchbowl. "So what did you do at home for parties?" Linny asked Kaedan, genuinely curious. A world beyond balls and noble gatherings had always been theoretical to her. It certainly existed, but it was completely out of her frame of knowledge. As she waited for his answer, she raised the cup to her lips and drank deeply.

"Euyyuuck... what kind of fruit punch is this?" she said, her young face screwed up in disgust. "Tastes like feet."

@StephDLegend

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

As Alhazred spoke of his people, Scorpio could feel himself seeing it upon the Force and upon his mind's eye, almost like an observer of the Story becoming visual. And it became as clear to him as it had in Alhazred's memories, even to the description of Vaal. It left Scorpio as serene as joyful as the Force it's self as it swirled around him and outward. Scorpio would sit there, upon the Force, as Alhazred continued.

"It all sounds so beautiful." Scorpio replied in kind. And it truth, it wasn't the actual vision it permeated, but rather, the primordial chaos of its nature. Life surviving the impossible and flourishing. Much like he envisioned for Tatooine one day, a world thriving upon its harsh sands. Most might consider it an impossible dream. But it was his. Noticing the depressive aura flowing in the Force around Alhazred, he took the moment to answer his request.

"It's a long tale from what I remember. Romantic, but long." Scorpio began, a smile enriching his face even as sadness set in. "Mother grew up an orphan in the Outer Rim. Bought and sold through slavery many time as each owner grew tired of her or aged. That was, until she met the one she knew as Master, the one who taught her the ways of the Sith. She was a proud Sith, had a son the same age as my mother, and trained my mother as her Apprentice. Gave my mother a life and her freedom as her own."

Scorpio takes a sip of his drink as he perks up a bit as he begins talking about his Father. "Father, however, grew up as youngling within the Jedi Order. Heard he was rambunctious too. But his life was nothing out of the ordinary. Took the Trials, became a Padawan, then Knight. He was actually pretty bland now that I think about it."

Scorpio chuckled and slapped at his knee with a soft tap. "It's said that my father came upon Mother in battle after her Master had been slain by another Jedi, and out of strife, attacked my father. But my father would not kill her and she could not best him. In a fit of tears, she collapsed a broken woman and pleaded with my father to end her life, and that all she had ever cherished had been taken away. And my father simply embraced her.

"Mother said it was the first time she ever felt kindness from a stranger and that she could feel his grief for her pouring from him. Otherwise, she would have skewered him right then and there. But that was mother. She had to joke in her happiness." Scorpio let out a laugh even as a tear streamed down his cheek in a sobering remembrance. " I once asked father about his side of the story. He said that he had never seen a more lifeless form than her that day, not even on the battfields before they met. He said that the darkness within her was simple a means to fill the void."

Finishing off the drink he had, Scorpio finished his story.

"Father grabbed her up and carried her away. They abandoned the Orders and found their way into hiding on Tatooine where they would marry a year later. And a year later, my sister Virgo, came along. Me, I came roughly five years after Virgo. And then my brother, Gemini. We were named after ancient constellations. And we lived a happy life until my mother's brother came along and found us."

For a brief moment, a hint at anger would rise in Scorpio, but he repressed it, instead shaking his empty glass and taking a relaxing breath as he stood. "My drinks empty. Think I'll hit up the punch bowl. You want a drink?"

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie was almost sad when Keck hopped off her shoulders. Her shoulders hadn’t been this exposed since high school, and Keck’s cold blooded ass was actually pretty warm. He was also the most adorable little guy she’d ever seen. Even more so when WAS HE SINGING IN HIS NATIVE TONGUE THAT IS SO FUCKING ADORABLE.

Her amazement at Keck’s clearly superior singing voice to any and all contenders was interrupted by her sister of the bin. In a word, Theia was TRASHED. It was beautiful! Natalie lightly held one of Theia’s arms, a shit eating grin plastered across her face. “Yeah? A princess! That’s a first,” Natalie said through laughter.

Leading Theia over to the stage, Natalie put the plate of snacks down in front of Keck. Then she took both of Theia’s hands and began to dance. The nagging thought that she was far too sober for this at least abated by the fact that she was surrounded by some friends, and decent food for once. “Hey, stay here, I’ll be right back,” she said.

To the punch bowl she went. One, then two cups later, she filled her third and made her way over to Theia. There was that familiar warmth in her chest! Ah, Natalie’s old friend Johnny Drunk, how she missed you so! It was just enough courage that when she got back to Theia, there were one and a half Theias, and Keck was just finishing up with his set on the stage.

She got this. Natalie found herself on the stage with him, taking a second to look over the available songs. It wasn’t just any song she could use, no, it needed to be one that Keck and Theia could dance to! Natalie found the perfect score, and, placing Keck on top of the podium for the spotlight, began to sing her heart out.

@GABA @Shalken

 

[Hiraya Manawari]

Hiraya was trying his absolute best not to dissolve in a fit of giggles as he watched Heidi loop the noose (it wasn't a noose, Force's sake!) around her waist and proclaimed that she would be back with the plushies they worked for. The Tiefling allowed himself an amused snicker, adjusting and tightening his grip on the makeshift rope, wrapping a good length of it around his hand. With Armen as their lookout, the three of them were ready for the greatest prom night heist!

"Yep, it's on the right!" Hiraya confirmed, then doubted at the last second when he tried to look past Heidi as she lowered herself into the machine. He squinted, trying but failing to spot the Chevin amidst the other plushies. "Wait, I think it's a little to the left- your left! Wait!"

He adjusted his grip, mindful not to jostle her around as he snickered yet again when Armen called Heidi Heinz. But keeping focus got a little challenging when he heard someone singing (@Shalken) in a tongue that wasn't even Basic anymore. Looked like someone was having a blast with the karaoke! With a carefree laugh the Tiefling's horned head bobbed unconsciously in time with the beat, the song rumbling from his throat as he sang in time with the singer, "La la la la dee doo dee lay lee lay~!"

...but he abruptly stopped when he spotted something shiny just shy of Heidi's left foot. Was that a bottle?

"Heidz, there's a shiny!" he exclaimed, pointing at the thing with his lips - which made it look like he was either pouting or asking for a kiss - since his hands were quite full at the moment.

@LilyNion @Die Shize

 

[Heidi Vulpis]

Alright, it was to the right. So Heidi began to lean more to the right, trying to swing her massive tail out of the way for more light. And just as she was about to commit, Hiraya abruptly warned her to take a turn to the left. With a grumble of utter and complete focus, Heidi tried to stir her body more to the left. It was more difficult than she had initially thought. Still, after a few awkward and struggling shuffles in the air, she felt comfortable enough to commit to her position.

And just as she was about to lower her arms into the plushies, there was another, more excited warning. Apparently, there was something shiny?! THAT piqued the girl's interest. Her ears perked up, and her tail swooshed around excitedly, slamming against the glass. Her gaze was drawn away from the plushies and toward Hiraya. Was he... kissing the air? Heidi wasn't against kissing, but not within two minutes of meeting someone? Then again, why not after a dance? And just as she was about to shrug and think about it, she realized he wasn't kissing the air, but rather pointing in the direction because his hands were full.

Oh.

That made sense.

Heidi followed his lips to the location, and there it was, something slightly gleaming and shimmering. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was there. Hm. The girl made a quick decision and extended one arm into the pile of plushies beneath her, attempting to hook onto any plushie she could find. She couldn't see what she'd grabbed, but she could feel at least two plushies pressed against her chest. Leaning down to the shiny object with her free arm, she could only just reach it.

She leaned forward even more, frustrated by her short reach. She felt the noose around her waist slowly slip over the smooth fabric of her dress, dangerously shifting down to her hips. But she was so close! Come on... Come on! She could almost feel it between her fingers! With a grunt, she lowered her lower upper body even more, her legs swooping upwards automatically. It was enough; her body's turn allowed her fingers to grasp the gleaming metal! It was hers!

The noose slipped over her hips and over her legs as she felt the metal against the tips of her fingers, sending her in a free fall into the plushies below.

---

tag @marshland @Die Shize ​

 

[Armen Westyll]

Right. Left. Wait. What? Right. Kay. Whatever the case, in either direction, Armen was rather content that he wasn’t the one trapped between four walls of glass and then some. This wasn’t even his idea to begin with but he was committed so whatever.

Truthfully he wasn’t really paying much attention to the karaoke so much as searching for anybody who might catch onto the plushy thieves, never mind any shiny.

Armen glanced back in time to catch Hiraya’s lips pouting for a kiss and— Oh, no, he was just giving Heinz a direction to search in.

“Hey guys,” Armen gestured into his partners’ general direction while looking away from the plushy display case. “Problem. Maybe. We got company. I think.”

Someone was coming. Potentially. “Looks like a pair of servers. Pretty sure one is looking at me. I think that’s her finger. Yeah. She’s pointing at me. Or the machine.” Armen shrugged, drumming a finger on the edge of his stick. “Maybe they're just taking a break and want to play?”

Spoiler: Dice Roll Result

Remaining undetected for Mission Impossible: Plushy Protocol: 8/10

@marshland @LilyNion

 

[Hiraya Manawari]

Hiraya was too focused trying to decipher what the shiny, mystery thing inside the claw machine, angling his body a little to the left and lowering his horned head to see past Heidi to notice her move to adjust anf have trouble with her short reach. Needless to say the Tiefling missed how the makeshift rope began to slowly but surely slip in time with her movements.

"Wait, I'll lower you– ack!"

Heidi fell, and almost instinctively Hiraya let go of the rope to catch her. Of course the glass was blocking his path, but there was no way it could block the Force from carefully coiling around the Fiani's form to cushion her fall. Well, considering the number of plushies inside the claw machine, they were enough to ensure a not-so rough landing. But Hiraya acted on instinct like he always did the moment he learned to grasp the fundamentals about wielding the Force.

"Heidi! Heidi, are you okay?" asked the Tiefling as he relinquished his careful grip on her – bushy tail and all – through the Force. The Padawan pressed his palms flat against the glass, eyes wide as he took in the sight of her amongst the plushies, before hysterically laughing out loud and cutting the sound off abruptly by slamming his hands over his mouth. She looked so cute, like a plushy herself–

(He wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud, though.)

"You're okay! I'll help ya get outta there!" he told her, mirth still suffused in his voice even as he picked up their makeshift rope and tossed the end on top of the claw machine.

But it was Armen's warning that sent the Tiefling's heartbeat skyrocketing. Hiraya frantically glanced between the Fiani and the human, his mind coming up with excuses as to why a Padawan found herself stuck inside the claw machine. They could get scolded for their shenanigans, or worse get booted out of the prom! Hiraya would take the scolding any day, to be honest – Ma said she would give him a quick call to get an equally quick look at him during prom later!

"Sugar honey ice tea!" exclaimed Hiraya as he saw the servers Armen talked about. The pair looked to be approaching them, indeed, and there were curious frowns on their faces. "Armen! We gotta get Heidz out of the machine!"

Obviously.

Looking back at Heidi, the Tiefling practically yelled, "Grab the rope, Heidi! I'll pull you up! Quick!"

@LilyNion @Die Shize

 

[Heidi Vulpis]

Why was it so dark? Oh, no, kriff. Did she go blind?! The people in the tavern had warned Heidi not to fall on her tail or spine because it could result in blindness. And she refused to listen. Look where that has gotten her! ... Then again, it was strangely difficult to breathe. As if her head was stuck in something. Something... soft?

Wait.

Heidi jerked her head up and light flooded her eyes. Freedom! She looked down straight after and a distorted plushy returned her gaze. Her face seemed to have made an indent in the fabric.

Oh.

Sheepishly, she shifted her gaze away from the plushy and toward the two Padawans. Both of them looked a bit more tense. Or, well, correction, Hiraya looked more tense. Armen looked the same as always. Then she heard them speak, their voices muffled by the glass walls but she understood them. But she admitted that she didn't understand the problem, she wasn't breaking any rules? Still, Hiraya had to have had a reason to yell at her to hurry and for Amren to drum his fingers, so Heidi nodded quickly before looking down at the plushies in her right arm and the silver object in her left hand. She wasn't done yet. "WAIT!" Heidi yelped out.

Unwilling to use the Force for fear of breaking a rule, Heidi took a few 'big' steps toward the drop beneath the claw through the sea of plush toys. Then, with one big swing, she threw everything. The plushies and silver flew majestically through the air before falling gracefully into drop. The only luck they've had so far. "OKAY!" She yelled back. "On my way!"

Heidi returned to the rope with the same 'big' steps, grasping it as tightly as she could in her hands. "I'm ready Hira!"

---

tag @marshland @Die Shize​

 

[Armen Westyll]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Armen squinted a bit at Hiraya’s order of sugar honey iced tea. “I mean…they look like servers but—” His partner just then gestured that they needed to get Heinz out of the machine.

Armen sighed. Why did he have to do all the legwork anyway? Wasn’t my idea to jump in and get the dumb Chevin to begin with…

Those ‘servers’ also looked like they really did just want to share in the entertainment anyhow— Then again, frowns generally mean serious business.

Okay, so around this moment was when Hiraya would be extending the rope and Heidi would be grabbing the rope, right? Heidz. Heinz. Whatever dumbdumb’s name was. Ketchup. Right?

“Hey, you!” Armen heard the distant voice as surely as he heard the karaoke in the distance but he pretended to be an idiot.

“Oh…it’s…uh…9:43…” He blinked, gazing upon his wristwatch.

The two servers looked at each other then back at Armen as they came closer. “Wat?”

“You asked what time it was…”

“Uh—”
“—What the”

“OH SHIT IT’S A CHEVIN” Armen pointed in the general direction of another game called basketball. Hopefully it would be enough of a distraction to get Heinz out without them noticing the rope and things?

Then again, Armen had run into the kind of luck that was like a bad roll of dice and then some.

Spoiler: Dice Roll Result

Distracting the servers: 5/20

@LilyNion @marshland

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia didn't hesitate to go onto the stage with Natalie. It was like familiar home as she listened to the adorable sounds Keck was singing; normally she would have tried to piece together the language, but her mind was swimming with everything else and it felt too much work to try and focus. It took Theia a moment to process as to why Natalie told her to stay put, she just wanted to dance. She loved dancing! It wasn't just ballet, but all sorts of dance she learned growing up. So even without her dance partner, who was hitting up the punch bowl...she kicked herself for not asking Natalie to bring her another drink to hopefully stop the loud buzzing in her ear.

In the meantime, Theia flailed her arms to the DJ transition music as the others decided who was going next. Luckily Natalie returned and was quick to skim through the catalog and pick out her tune.

When it started, it took the red haired padawan a moment to process what she was hearing. It was certainly familiar but when it finally clicked, Theia got to work on her dancing behind Natalie. She needed a good back up, she had Keck up front, but she needed to fill the space in the back and begun to flail her limbs about. Internally, Theia thought she was doing well, but to everyone else who was sober enough that evening, Theia looked like a wet noodle being snapped and wiggled at the mercy of another. If she were to see herself, Theia would be utterly embarrassed, but as tipsy as she was, she thought she was doing an amazing job.

@TheDudeMike @Shalken

 

[Hiraya Manawari]

"No way there's a Chevin here, I checked the guest list-"

There was a loud smack, followed by a yelp, then a haughty, stuffy voice proclaimed, "Of course, there's no Chevin here! Dumbass!"

The servers, the comedic duo, then frowned at Armen disapprovingly. They crossed their arms in sync, then glanced pointedly at the claw machine where Hiraya was busy fishing Heidi out - in sync again, of course - as if to ask what's up with those two, and why aren't you stopping them?

Meanwhile, Hiraya nodded at Heidi after the Fiani made sure that their prize (shiny included) were properly shoved down the prize chute before waddling her way back to the rope. A bright smile lit up his face, tail wagging so fast, when he heard the nickname. Once she was securely gripping the end of the rope, Hiraya made a show of taking a huge breath before planting his feet on the ground and pulling her up. "Mind your head, Heidz!" he cautioned her brightly as he pulled, gripping the rope tightly so as not to let it slip past his fingers.

One of the two servers then suddenly piped up, "Hey, that actually looks kind of cool. Like, 'fish your friend out of the claw machine' kind of cool..."

"Yeah, now that you mention it- hey, we're here to reprimand them, not praise them!"

"But you gotta admit it's kind of cool... and stupid... but in a cool way...?"

Stuffy shook her head irritably at her co-worker, before leveling Armen with a look that was half-reprimanding and half-'I'll get your number after that' as she gave him a quick once over and seemingly liking what she saw. "I'm still going to report this to your Jedi teachers or something!"

The moment Heidi pulled herself up through the roof, Hiraya would let go of the makeshift rope and spread his arms in front of him, clearly ready to catch the Fiani as he would cheerfully tell her to, "Jump! I gotcha!"

@LilyNion @Die Shize

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan listened to the way Alienor described the events. It was more than just a way to network, so much more. It could be a way to politically get to know someone or even to present marriage offers. Wait, what? Maybe it was an aristocratic noble thing to form relationships that way. The concepts of arranged marriages was still not well known to Kaedan. It wasn't something that he would even know considering the fact that his parents got married out of love. Not only was love the driving factor, they would never have felt this for each other under other circumstances. Alienor quickly shut down the idea of her having suitors, even before it crossed Kaedan's mind. "I see. I take it you would rather pick the person you liked instead of having it presented to you in such a formal political way."

As they got to the Fondue area, he watched her grabbed bread and a few sticks. He watched what she did before doing it himself. He took a bite and smiled, savoring the taste while lightly chuckling at the way she reacted to the taste. "This is actually really good."

She asked him about what was done for parties back home on Rion. He didn't really know what to tell her. He didn't spend as much time on his homeworld as he hoped. Not only that, he didn't get to explore his mother's home world either so he didn't have either of their traditions. "I am not sure. I left home for the Jedi Order when I was 6. The biggest event I can remember is our Winterfest where you would exchange gifts with each other. Other than that, all I got is spending time with the Jedi knights and Masters on Takodana and celebrating the holidays on that planet."

He grabbed a cup but before he could get himself some fruit punch, he heard Alienor's warning. She didn't like it and her face said it all. He instead filled the cup with water and handed it to her. "Here, to wash out that taste." He then grabbed another cup and filled it with water for himself and took a sip of it as he continued to enjoy the fondue.

@Charndley

 

[Alienor Pom Blodau]

Linny listened to Kaedan's appraisal of aristocratic romance, or rather the lack of it. "Well, yes, ideally. And definitely not for political reasons. If I ever get married, I hope it's to someone who actually likes me rather than my family name," she said, "but I'm lucky. I'm not that high in the family succession, and I'm a Jedi now. I suppose I'm not the best prospect." Much to her relief, she wouldn't be fielding offers of betrothal anytime soon.

She listened to him talk about his home, raising her eyebrows as he mentioned when he left home. That seemed sad. Being with the Jedi from such a young age meant he'd been trained well, but the thought of being cut off from her family so young was... well, horrifying. "It sounds a little lonely. Maybe one day you can celebrate the Festival of Wind with me? It's a big holiday on Annwfynn."

After eating some fondue and sipping some water, she noticed quite a few people dancing. After watching them shortly, she smiled up at Kaedan and held out her gloved hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan and Alienor got to talking about her traditions at balls and the conversation went to marriage politics of Annfyn nobility. He didn't fully understand it but he made a guess of Alienor wanting something different than the social norm of someone of her status. She pointed out that he ideally was correct in believing that she wanted to fall in love instead of being in a political marriage. She pointed out that she hoped it would be with someone who liked her and not just wanted to take advantage of her family's name. Was her name really that powerful? Wow. "I'm sure you find someone who will like you for you. After all, you're really great so I don't see why anyone wouldn't like you." He smiled, hearing her address that she wasn't that high in her family line and that she was now a Jedi so she wasn't the best prospect. "Well, that may be dependent on what someone is looking for. In terms of the politics, maybe not. In terms of being a pretty girl who's a really kind person, you're a really great prospect."

The conversation about his own traditions and life came up. He informed her about not really being connected to his culture due to when he left home to join the order. Now that they were talking about his family and home, he was now starting to feel a bit homesick. Maybe he should visit his home and see his parents. He had more freedom as a padawan than as an initiate. She brought up that it sounded lonely and then proceeded to invited him to celebrate on of her planet's festival holidays with her. "It was lonely but instead of focusing on that, I put a lot of time into my training. I guess, I should go visit my family sometime soon." He smiled before answering the invitation. "It would be an honor to go to the Festival of Wind with you and celebrate. Just let me know when it will be and I will make sure that I am available."

After they had their fondue and water, the Annfyn invited him to dance with her, offering her gloved hand out. He took the hand and smiled. "Yes." He led her to the dance floor, dancing with her. At the start he was a bit nervous due to being so inexperienced but after a few moments, his confidence improved and now he was dancing with her. "Thank you for coming to the prom with me, Alienor." There was a sincerity and seriousness in his voice that he rarely showcased.