Ask Secondhand Smoke

[Ambrosia]

Taris. Once upon a year ago, there had been a Sith academy on Taris. Since the Imperials betrayed the Sith and chased them out of the Empire though, the academy was just a shell. There was a chainlink fence surrounding the campus now, with brightly colored signs every three meters that spelled out 'TARISIAN CITY SCHOOL, OPENING SOON'. Apparently, the city was turning the former Sith Academy into some sort of school. Ambrosia had no strong opinions about the development, but she knew someone who would.

Click! ... Bu-loop! The Arkanian offshoot took a picture of the former Sith stronghold and forward it to Malerion (@Braden) without a caption. She figured he would hate to see it, and that brought a smile to her lips.

Satisfied, Ambrosia turned away from the fence and continued her way down the busy Tarisian street. There was supposed to be a festival that night. From the very brief research she'd done, it had its origins in a Dark Side cult from thousands and thousands of years ago. Though it was now almost entirely secular, the history had still drawn Ambrosia out to the former Sith planet and into its streets. She had no goal in mind; other than enjoying herself, of course.

A pale hand pushed against a door left ajar, and the Arkanian offshoot stepped into the moodily-lit bar. What better way to start off the night than getting a few drinks into her system?

The Sith wore a lavender lace bustier top with a pair of well-fitted jeans and matching lavender kitten heels. She looked like anything but Sith, with nothing on her that could even remotely identify her as such. With her big doe eyes, porcelain skin, pouty lips and innocent gaze... how could she be?

"Vodka soda," she called out to the bartender, slipping into place to the left of a woman with rosy cheeks and strikingly green eyes.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As this wasn't her first time on Taris, Kalique knew her way around a little. It wasn't like she was here for some vacation as she obviously wouldn't have chosen Taris then, but instead of returning to the castle, she has deliberately chose to extend her stay here a little longer.

Why? Firstly, she had decided to pay Levik a visit now that she was here already, still wondering what business he usually pursued in the city. Secondly, and this was also the reason why she had decided to go with a black lace dress that wouldn't give her away as actually being an Imperial Knight-Captain, she had picked up rather interesting rumors that were intertwined with the planet's dark history, and had decided to take a closer look around.

She remembered well how they had cleared the gang hideout in the sewers where this Sith Champion had been hiding as well and was convinced there was much more to it. She had chosen a rather dim lit bat to start her night, hoping she'd run into someone who could provide more details, but for now she just played her part by sipping a cold drink.

It didn't take long until she was joined by a young looking, doll-faced woman who took a seat next to her. "Oh hey there...that's a cute outfit!" she complimented the stranger openly, deciding that friendliness wasn't a bad start to a lighthearted conversation.


@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

Ambrosia turned to look at the woman who was complimenting her, face empty of a reaction for a moment before her lips turned and her eyes lit up. "Thank you," she mused, her eyes dropping down and slowly back up as she checked out the woman sitting next to her. She was very pretty, and in that dress it was easy to see the woman's toned build. She looked like the kind of woman who was 'more than meets the eye.' Ambrosia's curiosity was piqued.

"I like your dress. You wear it well." The woman turned so that her body was facing more toward Kalique's, her fingers curling around the vodka soda now in her hand. "Are you here for the festival?"

She figured that unless Kalique was a local, it would be so. They were in the heart of the reparations; Ambrosia fully expected that by the time she left the streets would have been transformed.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Despite the delicate features, big, expressive eyes and unique beauty of the porcelain-skinned woman, Kalique thought there was a hint of sadness or perhaps melancholy in her features, but that was only until her compliment hit. Kalique's own smile widened as she saw her eyes lightening up, and suddenly this melancholy was forgotten.

"Oh...thank you, that's very kind" she put on a genuinely grateful, perhaps even slightly sheepish smile as she twirled a strand of loose hair around her fingers. "I am indeed. I've been excited for weeks, but my friend left me hanging in the last moment as she had caught some kind of a stomach bug..." she let put a sigh after having made up this little story on the spot.

"I still wanted to go...I've heard cool things about it. What about you?". Kalique was fairly aware that if the other woman hadn't come for the festival, she wouldn't have asked like that, but what she noticed was that she was also on her own, which made her wonder how she had ended up here.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

Ambrosia listened to Kalique, her smile lightening into something much more apologetic as she learned about the woman's story. Her friend had abandoned her? What a shame.

"I came for the festival," she answered truthfully, leaning back to glance out the door to the bar that was still a bit open. The hustle and bustle of the festivities were starting to grow louder as workers hurried to set up. "A family friend of my mother's is from here. She always had a lot to say about it, and since I was passing by..."

Ambrosia had walked her fingers along the bar toward Kalique to emphasize her point. She looked at them, then back up at the rosy-cheeked woman and smiled. "...I decided to stop by. A 'stomach bug' wouldn't scare me away," she added cheekily.

"Are you from Taris?" she asked, turning to face the woman as if she was the most interesting person in the room.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique began to wonder whether by now the festival had already been opened as she didn't intend to stay in this shabby bar much longer, however she was already becoming an answer from what happened outside. "Oh?" she replied rather delighted, brushing that strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's funny how we ran into each other then", she remarked with a warm smile, watching her fingers approach and withdraw, which was actually an adorable spectacle to behold. Something about her reminded her of Guin and maybe that was why she found her new found companion rather likeable so far.

"I'm not! It's my first time here, actually", she immediately replied, however hiding that she had been in the damn sewers before. It was true how she wasn't from here and how she had not been in this district before, but she didn't have to share those specific information with strangers. "Have you ever been to Taris before?" maybe she knew more about this place.

She brought her glass back to her lips and emptied it in one gulp before she sat it back down. Despite the horrible interior, the drink was good and her gaze briefly wandered to the clear liquid in the porcelain-skinned woman. "I'm Keera, by the way" she finally introduced herself, happily offering a hand. Maybe she had even found some friendly company for a stroll across the festival?

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

Ambrosia was a little disappointed to learn that the woman was not a native. It was unlikely she knew much more than Ambrosia did about the planet, then. "I have not." So far her impression of the planet was just another sprawling city. They were a dime a dozen in the galaxy. "It's nice to meet you, Keera." She shook the woman's outstretched hand.

Should she use her real name? Ambrosia considered it for a moment while she took a sip of her drink. She set the glass down and offered an introduction of her own. "My name's Liliane, but my friends call me Lily." She rested her chin in her palm and looked at 'Keera' with her big doe eyes. "Why don't we check out the festival together, since we're both here by ourselves?"

At the very least, company could be nice, especially when said company was as cute as Keera was.

Ambrosia swung her legs around, already leaning toward the open door, as if to say, 'shall we?'

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique couldn't help but to wonder whether the doe-eyed blonde was even old enough to drink as her delicate features made her appear rather young, but in the end she had received her drink just fine, so she figured she was probably not much younger than herself.

What mattered was that she seemed friendly enough to spend some time with and while the Knight-Captain was naturally cautious, she could easily keep up apperance while not letting her guard down as well. "Oh, that's a cute name" she warmly smiled at the other woman, "It's also a pleasure to meet you".

"Sure! That sounds fun". For outsiders, it was much more believable that two innocent looking woman would attend the festival together as opposed to having one curious blonde just snoop around, so her suggestion was actually helpful.

Following her lead, she hopped of the bar stool and fell into step next to her before they'd leave the bar together. "Oh...wow. The workers have been busy for sure" Kalique remarked as the two would realize how the decorations were all up and festival attendants were streaming in from all sides. Even if it was just about to begin, it seemed like there was great interest in it and that sooner or later, all streets would be crowded for sure.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

"Indeed," Ambrosia agreed, falling in step just half a stride behind 'Keera'. Her pale violet eyes were drawn to the paper lights that had been strung up between the street lamps, illuminating the streets in a warm, multicolored glow. "Do you know what the festival's for?" she asked as they passed by two men painting the finishing details onto a set of masks. Though the colors were bright, the masks seemed to depict monsters.

They soon passed by a stall that seemed to be selling masks of all sorts as well. Ambrosia slowed to a stop as they did, hoping to spend a minute looking at the painted accessories. Many of them depicted monsters, though some had animal-like appearances and less monstrous ones.

"Are you two lovely ladies looking for a mask of ya own?" the shop attendee asked, gesturing to the masks with an open palm. "Gotta get em now while you can!"

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Her doe-eyed new found friend for the night was soon curious about what this festival was about and obviously, 'Keera' didn't mind to share what insights the tourist had gathered. "Actually, I find it quite hard to describe. I was relying on the opinions I had been given and they just said there's enough booze, fancy decorations and a unique vibe" she gestured around with a happy smile on her lips, as their surroundings were proof to that.

"I wouldn't...call myself a goth" she sweetly chuckled to herself "but this dark atmosphere and kinda vibey. I was always amazed by occultism". No need to tell the stranger she was here to hunt such things down. "No idea where this festival originated, but it's cool", with a shrug, she finished her elaboration before the attende interrupted their conversation.

Kalique's eyes widened at the broad selection, genuinely thrilled about the idea of concealing herself more openly as it was aiding her endeavor. The selection was vast and while some masks truly reminded her of what self-proclaimed Sith cultists sometimes wore in belief that Dark siders needed mysterious masks, other were shocking and monstrous.

She rummaged through the various pieces for a bit, finally choosing a dark, elegant, feminine half-mask that was turning her into some kind of dark butterfly before she put in on and turned to Lily. "How does that look?" she asked the woman in delight, curious about her selection.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

"It's very feminine." Ambrosia, on the other hand, had chosen a more monstrous mask akin to the majority of the pieces on display. "What do you think of mine?" she asked, sounding fairly amused at the difference in aesthetic between the ones they'd picked.

"I find the occult...intriguing myself," she continued as the two of them left the stall to wander further into the festival. "Sometimes things just can't be explained by conventional means. I find it curious," she laughed.

"Are there festivals like this where you are from?"

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Happy with her choice, Kalique paid the owner before she excitedly assessed the mask Lily had chosen. "Oooh...terrifying yet classy, I like it" she replied with a smirk, waiting for her to wrap up the purchase before the two women were on their way again.

It actually didn't surprise her that she found occultism interesting because she was here as well after all and also, she just had this vibe to her that Kalique found very fitting in terms of the setting of the festival. "Exactly! Like sometimes I experience something that just feels like there must be more to what we can actually grasp if that makes sense" she replied, keeping the conversation going like she would assume a tourist would do, but she was actually enjoying the lighthearted conversation.

Lily then asked a more personal question and Kalique to find a clever way for conveying information without actually giving too many details. "Oh nothing exciting, actually. There used to be smaller fares, but they were quite boring. I do enjoy traveling around and visiting bigger ones though as I looove dancing. What about you?". They were passing through the streets and approaching the first stage where darker, electric music was booming through massive speakers.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

"I've never been to a festival before," Ambrosia asked, her eyes suddenly wandering as something in the crowd apparently distracted her. Two seconds later, a massively-long, dragon-like puppet would circle in the air, held up with sticks by a dozen men and women. The two of them would actually have to shuffle quickly out of the way to avoid it, their departure sounded by the jingling of bells on their belts.

"A dragon?" The dragon was made up of blacks and greys with burning red eyes. It seemed to be in the likeness of an Arkanian dragon. She was surprised to see it depicted here, though she wasn't thrilled. Reminders of home were not welcomed. "I wonder what the dragon has to do with the festival?"

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

So far, everything seemed perfectly calm in terms of suspicious behavior or weird elements of the festival. Maybe this had all been a false lead and there was nothing to discover but a dark festival. No Sith relations or whatsoever and no real cultist movements.

"Oh?" Kalique curiously asked, wondering whether the stranger came from but she also seemed to hold back certain details. She was suddenly forced to move out of the way of the long fake dragon that was suddenly passing them, twirling in the air in a quite spectacular way.

"Me neither. But that's interesting" she pointed out, sharing the woman's confusion. Not that she found dragons particularly interesting, but the other woman seemed quite amazed. Suddenly, the dragon would stop and they'd both feel how someone used the Force to send out a cone of fire out of the dragon's large jaw. Kalique kept a straight face but that was partially due to the mask. "Oh my...wow" she simply stammered like a tourist would do, turning towards Lily. "Was that like...ignited alcohol or something?! That was amazing".

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

The fire was certainly not ignited by alcohol, and Ambrosia was well aware of that. She watched the performance, eyes unblinking, then shifted their gaze over to Kalique at the comment. "Maybe," she commented, not sure how it would be done without the Force. Perhaps a gas tube was inserted into the mouth and a lighter nearby? Regardless, it was impressive that the Force user within hadn't set the float on fire. Ambrosia certainly would have.

"I'm not a particularly big fan of fire," she commented sheepishly. "It's such a volatile element." Just on cue, as they continued further into the festival, they began to approach a stage where a woman was quite literally breathing fire. She wore a black mask shaped like that of a devil, with small holes for her violet eyes and a small one for her mouth. She held something up to her mouth, ignited it with her tail, then exhaled a cloud of fire out and above the crowd. Even more impressive was a small woman beside her doing just the same, except this time she was not a tiefling with nothing to fear.

"See that - that's just playing with fire," Ambrosia commented, suppressing a giggle while she glanced toward Kalique.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Despite appearing interested and curious, Kalique paid close attention to her angel-faced companion's reaction, but there was nothing she found suspicious. While always on her guard, it did seem like she could simply enjoy her company tonight and explore the festival together.

They did continue along the busy street, colorful lights, music, food stands and masked people all around. "Oh...I find that quite relatable. Fire can be devastating". It felt good being able to use it against the unprepared enemy, but Lily didn't need to know she commanded that power. "I don't think there will be any accidents here though...I mean, it's a big festival. I'm sure they've taken all precautions to ensure we'll all stay unharmed" she gave the other woman an encouraging smile. She'd keep her away from fire, that she had noted down.

Upon reaching the stage, there was yet another fire show going on, yet here she could tell that it was fire breathing and thus some ethyl alcohol and nothing extraordinary. "Okay okay...let's get away from the fire". Apart from the people marveling at the show, there was not much to be seen. "Hm...". Kalique glanced around until something interesting caught her attention. "Oh look! A dark fortune teller stand! No idea what she'll do but let's check it out!". Before Lily would get the chance to answer, Kalique dragged her along. If there was some shady business going on it would be there.

@lizziie