Open Social Serennian Delights

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah was intrigued by Jayna, not just because of who she was, but also because of who she was. Given who her father was, living up to those expectations would not be easy, specially now that her brother was playing hero with the Jedi. She had known her own share of hurdles on her way to where she was today, and though it probably came nowhere near to what the girl was experiencing, she could imagine what life must be like for her. That intrigued her, how Jayna would handle the cards that had been dealt to her.

But what she hadn't expected was for the young heiress to completely ignore the princeling she had acquired for the explicit purpose of getting close to people like her. As she let Jayna lead her to the dance floor, she could only imagine how much trouble sorting things out with Gaston would be. But, he was a much smaller fish compared to the Sephi, even if he was too self-absorbed to see that. She would find a way to deal with him, but that would have to wait. For now she had to deal with a different thorne in her side.

"So, shall we?" She said with a hint of amusement as she held her hands up for Jayna, letting her take the lead in the dance. As the music hit a high she let Jayna dip her, the two of them moving along to the music like only someone with the right training could. She noticed Gaston as the dip had her almost facing backwards, he was still staring at them, equal parts angry and confused. "You might have hurt that poor man's feelings, you know." She said as Jayna pulled her back up. "He's rather used to being the center of attention. Never had to deal with someone like you though, has he?"

@Altaris

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

Her skin crawled as his fingers made their way down the length of her torso, a delightfully frightening euphoria sweeping across both mind and body as the pair continued to move through the crowd of dancing attendants of the masquerade. While most who had elected to make an appearance on Serreno would remain oblivious to the identity of the man she found herself intertwined with, the realization slowly began to dawn on Sah’ra on who he was, just how threatened she and everyone else here were.

Her fear was ecstasy, her heart racing as the images formed and faded from her mind within moments. Briefly, she considered her speculation as nothing more than such but the pieces soon began to fall into place. His disappearance. The chilling shockwave that was felt throughout the galaxy. The decimation of the Jedi enclave on Ithor. They were all connected. Seeing those eyes silhouetted by the same visor she had seen once before, here on Serenno all those years ago, was the final pin to her conclusion.

Her legs grew weak as she was continuously guided across the floor but she dared not falter. Not in his presence. Knowing what she now knew to be true, she realized that what she had believed when the wicked pulse first made itself known was entirely correct. As the Sith fell apart, the Force acted and restored balance by returning him to the galaxy. Perhaps, she pondered, his return was the fulfillment of the Sith’ari prophecy.

”Perhaps to my immediate benefit,” she responded quietly, looking into the eyes behind his mask with a knowing yet frightened gaze, a stark contrast to the smile she wore. ”Though it is the galaxy that benefits when its foundations are razed and rebuilt, m’lord,” she concluded.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tia was surprised when Deva stepped in closer, feeling her breath against her ear as she spoke softly. She closed her eyes, listening quietly, letting Deva lead for a little bit as she considered what the violet-eyed woman had just said. What did Deva see in her? Was it admiration? Jealousy? Lust? And though from some Tia would be disgusted, it would be the curiosity of the mystery that laid within with Deva. She wasn't sure either why the sudden intrigue she had with the woman, doubts and skepticism gave reason of curiosity to an individual who had been missing for many years. Other parts of herself yelled at her about flirting, to which she would internally argue with herself about that assumption. Then of course, was simply the idea she was enjoying herself this evening. There were no catches, no questions with it, only a feeling she had not experienced in quite some time.

It was a tranquility she couldn't fully define.

She watched the woman's eyes look over her shoulder and Tia turned the woman slightly to catch a glimpse of possible suitors that had accompanied her. None of them looked the sort of lively company. Glancing back to the woman, there was a quick frown in thought, "You always have a choice, Deva." Tia told her, holding her gaze, "I forgone a partner for this evening." she gently spun the woman out before bringing her back to herself; things had been too complicated in recent weeks, she didn't want to play up to pleasantries with a pity plus-one that she would need to entertain for the evening.

"When you're done with what you need here tonight, we can go find a more relatable crowd."

@Killa Ree

 

[Darth Raze]

He doubted she knew the gravity of what she spoke. Many Sith pontificated about destruction and rebirth, but few follow through on them. There were many in the room that considered themselves devoted to the Dark Side, but he doubted they understood the sacrifices that came with it. Nevertheless, he found this woman entertaining, his hands tracing along her body and his chill clashing against the heat off her body.

He brought his hand up to trace a lone, cold finger along the side of her face and along her jawline, “Why are you afraid? What do you think I’m going to do right here and right now?” He chuckled softly, a glint in those demonic eyes behind the mask. He gave her only a moment to answer before he drew back, “Drink?” He asked, leading the way to the bar if she chose to come.

Along the way he paused briefly, sensing a very familiar presence. He slowly turned his head to regard the redhead (@GABA). She wouldn’t have to think hard before realizing who stood in her presence. He said nothing, a faint smirk touching his lips. A knowing smile. She had served him well - one of his most promising disciples. He didn’t linger, turning to resume his journey towards the bar.

“Whiskey,” He said curtly to the server. Leon (@Zay), as a Jedi, would be almost overwhelmed to be in the presence of such a powerful Dark Sider immersed this deep into it. It was frigid, oppressive and against anything he was ever trained to be.

@Tulos

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon was killing it. Bottles flew, no force of course, cause where would the fun in cheating be as he put on a Canto Bright show of making each cocktail ordered. He caught a glimpse of Doth out of the corner of his eye and his smile widened. The thick necked human was astonished as Leon crushed his line and then set to resetting his work space.

There was a little lull, and he could feel sweat clinging to his face under his stupid mask, so he spun around pulled it up and wiped his face, and the inside of the mask. Just before he was about to turn around a cold chill ran down his spine. He did a little shimmy involuntarily as he turned around. Then his eyes landed on the source of the chill.

Leon’s entire universe threatened to collapse in on itself as he saw the domineering figure closing in. The sweat he’d wiped away was back in earnest and below the bar his hands trembled. His breath was shallow and fast. It took everything in him to stay put. He wasn’t exactly sure why in the fuck he had stayed. This was a shit job not worth dying over, but it was too late now.

From this proximity Leon could see the burning eyes that juxtaposed the fridge chill. This being was the exact opposite of him in every way. Except for the whiskey. That was a good call and the perfect segway for him to come back to his senses.

“Yessir,” said Leon, snagging his favorite bottle from the shelf behind him. “This is a Corellian bourbon called Old Grandad, it’s 114 proof, but still smooth, I recommend a double over a large rock.” he swallowed, positive he was about to die.

At least he'd given a solid recommendation first?

Obviously, he’d pour whatever this literal boogey man wanted and however he wanted it. As long as it bought him enough time to get the fuck out of here once this guy moved on.

@Sreeya

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

The cool chill of his finger nail tracing her cheek sparked a momentary shudder, her eyes closing as a panicked smile continued to flicker across her lips. There was desperately little in the world of the living that invoked such a reaction from the woman, but being in the presence of such a dominating source of power was more intoxicating than anything she had ever known. Her eyes only opened after he asked her question, unable to peel them off of his own as they stared through her very soul.

”Questioning what you could do is pointless,” she responded as his finger came to a stop at the tip of her chin. ”You’ve every right to do as you please,” she finished, the corners of her mouth twisting more fully into a smirk.

As he made his way through the crowd towards the bar, Sah’ra remained at his side with her arm interlocked with his own. How the crowd parted as he approached, seeming unknowingly, she mused silently at the effect he had on the highly influential to the most mundane. The reaction of the young bartender only further proved as much.

As the young man struggled to compose himself in his presence, she observed the steps it took. She could feel his panic through the Force, and while she couldn’t fault him for harboring such similar feelings to her own, she certainly wasn’t about to let it be forgiven for forgetting that she was here as well.

With an chilling stare and a gentle cough, Sah’ra allowed the young man a moment to ask her what she desired after he placed his own order. When it became evident that he would not, she turned in time to catch a server working the floor with a tray of drinks and selected a glass of red wine for herself. ”Oh no, don’t let me interrupt,” she said blatantly as she turned back. ”I’ll sort myself out,” Her icy gaze never left Leon as she took a sip from the glass in her hand as he continued to have beads of sweat pour from his hairline.

@Sreeya @Zay

 

[Jayna Thorne]

Jayna didn’t even bother to glance back over her shoulder, to where a confused and offended Gaston still lingered. Instead, the quarter-Sephi kept her silvery eyes locked onto Jasnah - smirking down at the Imperial Diplomat as they moved across the dancefloor and beneath the chandelier lights. Her hands easily found their way to intertwine with Jasnah’s own, while Jayna’s free hand rested lightly against the middle of her back.

“I am sure he’ll recover,” She said smoothly, just as she dipped Jasnah backwards and towards the ground. Jayna held the Diplomat there for a few seconds before gracefully lifting her back upright, continuing their path across the dancefloor.

She had no qualms leading the woman on her arm - with each step taking them in long, circular rotations across the room. Jasnah would feel like her feet were gliding across the polished tiles below - each of those lessons from Jaikus and Emryc ingrained as instinct for the quarter-Sephi.

“Besides,” Jayna said, arching a brow down at her dance-partner. “I’m far more interested in the woman who sought me out to begin with.” The quarter-Sephi wasn’t blind to what Jasnah had been doing, using the are more important aristocrat like fishbait. "Taken your leave from the Senate?" She asked, having clearly noted the woman's absence from the latest session. A shame, as far as Jayna was concerned.

Somewhere across the dancefloor, Jayna caught just the glimspe of Raze and Sa'rah standing together - and the server that attended them. The glint of verdant eyes and profile immediately captured her attention, if only for the split moment between dancing with Jasnah.

@Wit @Sreeya @Tulos @Zay

 

[Deva Gendrel]

She grinned down at the woman's serious expression, splaying her fingers out further at the small of the woman's back as her words touched her mind. Shamelessly, violet eyes met those of blue, and she cocked her head slightly, pressing her fingers lightly against the woman's spine.

However, when she was spun out, she released her easily, following in her wanted path until once again she was in her arms, perking a dark brow.

"I've already gotten what I need," she answered, chuckling once. "This is merely a much-welcomed addition to it; I wouldn't mind accepting this tempting invitation now." Still, there was that feeling again. Of deja vu, a chill that ghosted up her spine. A threat and a promise so delicious, she found her gaze sliding away from eyes of blue, to a wraithlike man that, once again, held an echo of familiarity she couldn't place. Reflexively, her hand tightened briefly around Tia's waist and hand, before she glanced back at the woman to gauge her reaction to the intriguing stranger.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tia grinned when Deva mentioned she had all that she needed, though there was something else that drew her attention. A familiar feeling that may have once given her comfort, but now accompanied coldness and dread. The woman's blue eyes left Deva's brilliant violets as they turned on the dance floor, her gaze briefly setting on a figure that was no doubt the source of what she was feeling. It made it hard to hear Deva as she would recognize his presence (@Sreeya), not realizing she was clutching Deva a little bit tighter as her heart pumped faster against her chest.

She didn't know what she felt, a combination of fear, angst, and even longing - touch starved of the Raze before; her eyes closed, but she continued the dance with Deva. The woman breathed in slowly, pushing away those feelings, she wasn't going to dwell on them, it had to be this way, or at least what she continued to tell herself until it no longer bothered.

The music gently transitioned and Tiamat realized how tightly she was holding Deva. Relaxing her grip, when she couldn't see the figure any longer, "It is a good time to accept..." she spoke softly, leading her off the dance floor.

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

When Tia held her tighter, Deva suddenly flushed a deep scarlet. Warmth raced down her spine and pooled in the pit of her stomach as she regarded the other woman suddenly clutched her tighter.

Not that Deva minded in the slightest. Rather, she reveled in the moment, of being able to unabashedly watch as she seemed to stiffen at the presence of the other, and for a moment, Deva was almost tempted to look at the other man again. He reminded her, briefly, of Darth Raze, whom she danced with and even shared a deathstick with in another ballroom, similar to this one. But the build was different--

Tiamat's words interrupted her train of thought and, regrettably, Tia seemed to begin relinquishing her own grip as well. Perhaps there would be marks, bruises where the other woman had gripped on so tightly that it was almost unbearable.

And yet, when she began leading her off the dance floor, Deva wrapped an arm around the woman's own, and gave her a slight smile.

"I am glad to hear it. I missed my opportunity last time; I won't waste it again." However, she wouldn't elaborate further, instead giving her hand a light tug as she would allow Tia to go wherever she wanted, curious to see what the other woman had in mind.

@GABA

 

[Alexi Stravos]

Alexi sipped his champagne, taking the room in. He made idle conversation with a pleasant if not astonishingly boring, group. He found his eyes looking out over the dance floor, deciding he would have much more luck finding a decent distraction there. "Excuse me." he said with a warm smile, dismissing himself from the group and making his way to the dance floor.

He finished the last of his glass and placed it on a passing tray a server was carrying around. He began approaching a woman with long, flowing blonde hair and a brilliant blue dress, but before he could reach her. He brushed up against another woman leaving the dance floor. "My Apologies," he said, turning with a charming smile and amethyst eyes peering behind his mask.

She wore a stunning black and gold dress, which accented her red hair. She was with someone, but everyone here ebbed and flowed between different people. "Might I make up for my clumsiness with a dance?" he said, extending his hand. ( @GABA )

He shifted his gaze towards her companion, continuing to smile. "As long as I am not interpreting something..." he said evenly.

@GABA @Killa Ree

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Her mind fought with her to return her attention to Raze as Deva (@Killa Ree) walked with her off the dance floor, catching a steal of her violet eyes reminding herself of how much more she would get to see soon. However, everything seemed to be interrupted when another brushed against her, possibly some low-class noble making a hasty move to secure a promise. He (@Raydo) immediately apologized thought, putting on a charming smile that was almost enough for Tia to brush him aside and continue onward. She noted his amethyst eyes, just as unusual as Deva's and the redheaded woman felt conflicted as he offered to make up with a dance. Her gaze went from Alexi to Deva, and a subtle glance across her shoulder to where Raze (@Sreeya) stood at the bar.

Now she felt really conflicted as the choices swam in her mind on her next step.

Staying longer meant possibly quarreling with her emotions with Raze being present; it also meant possibly losing an opportunity to have a different dance this evening. Though staying on the other hand, her gaze flickered again from Deva to Alexi, wondering just how much did Deva want her later, but she could also dance longer which she also liked, and reveal in the jealous looks she had been receiving from the noble ladies this evening. And the little voice deep and far also whispered to the hopeless romantic, her eyes flicked to the bar once more before settling on Alexi.

"I think I could have just one more dance." she said sliding Deva's arm from around her waist and taking Alexi's hand, letting him lead her back to the dance floor.

 

[Deva Gendrel]

Amythest met amythest, and the moment Tiamat seemed to glance at this other, this male, an all-too-familiar feeling flickered to life deep within her chest.

Fury.

Pure, unadulterated rage flared, and she itched with the urge to choke the life from the man's eyes, a color so similar to her own it could have been jarring. Before Tiamat would move away with him, Deva stepped forward once more. Her lips to the woman's ear, her voice was light, cool and calm before she completely released her.

"I will wait for you."

Just one dance. Just one dance. But if his hands strayed too far, or if his lips dared to touch what wasn't his, or if he even dared to look her way with any sort of smugness, she would not hesitate to extinguish him on that very spot. The Darkness began to whisper, to hum within her very bones, and if the stranger would look her way, he would see, only very faintly, a shimmer of baleful yellow sheen across dark irises before it would fade, like a trick of the light.

Just one dance.

She had waited years, after all. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt... or so she kept telling herself as she stepped back, forcing herself to step back, to merely be another watchful wallflower, jaw gritting so much she swore she could almost taste blood.

I could snap that pretty boy's neck like a twig, but it might ruin her dress. So I will wait.

@GABA @Raydo

 

[Alexi Stravos]

Music​

There was a brief pause, the calculating of decisions. The woman's eyes ever so slightly darting between options. This is what made parties worth going to. After attending hundreds, if not thousands, of these events throughout his life, the drama is what kept him coming back. The woman whispered into her partner's ear, Alexi understanding the possessiveness behind it. He stood patiently before the red-haired woman took his hand. "Wonderful." he said warmly as he gently took her hand.

He gave the other woman a friendly nod as he turned. No powers were needed to feel the icy stare as they descended into the depths of the dance floor.

As they reached a small opening, Alexi took a few paces back and bowed formally before stepping back to her. They began to step with one hand on her waist and the other holding her hand. Alexi had grown up dancing; he moved with the casual skill of someone who no longer had to think about his steps. "Hopefully, I didn't cause too much tension between you and your woman." he said casually as they moved slowly across the floor.

He spun his dance partner, stepping up behind her, hand moving back to her waist and free hand sliding down the back of her arm towards her hand. She would be facing the direction they had come, though his attention was on her. "Though, a little tension can often keep things entertaining." he whispered with a grin before spinning her back around and resuming their circling steps.

@GABA @Killa Ree

 

[Darth Raze]

The Anzat silently stared at the bartender before slowly nodding in agreement to the drink choice. It would do. His haunting gaze pierced into Leon as if searching through every corner in his thoughts. There was something about this boy that reeked. A moment later Raze began to realize what it was. The boy’s very existence and what he stood for contradicted everything Raze was. Seeing the fear as he began to melt on the spot was entertaining.

“Do not spill the pour,” He warned dryly, not missing the way Leon’s hand trembled. Raze was unconcerned by the exchange between Sah’ra and the bartender, his gaze flicking over towards the pulse of rage he sensed. Emotions that churned within the Force always drew his attention. He briefly looked back at Leon, “I hope you are not too far from home,” He said simply, a chill in his voice that would run down his spine. There was a knowing smirk on the wraith’s lips. One that would feel unsettling.

With that, he looked over at Sah’ra, “Now, why are so many of your kind here tonight?” He asked. She would likely note he said ‘your kind’ not ‘our kind’. Their walk put them near the seething Deva. Raze followed her gaze to Tia and the other man and then back to her, grabbing a drink off a passing tray and extending it to her.

“I think I prefer you in a suit,” He observed calmly, drawn here entirely by the rage, “Discarded like garbage,” He remarked flatly as he looked at Tia, “Do we tolerate that these days?” He queried, looking at Sah’ra with a grin before taking a sip. Chaos was most delicious when it was on the teetering edge. His presence was darkness manifested, coaxing and nudging Deva's psyche without her even fully realizing.

@Killa Ree @Tulos @Zay

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He wasn't half bad at dancing, possibly a little too formal for her tastes, but it was always refreshing to come across a competent partner on the dance floor. She followed his lead (@Raydo), letting him guide her through the waltz, listening quietly as he mentioned something about causing tension. Well, it was clear he did not feel what she could feel on the side of the dance floor, there was certainly jealously as the woman (@Killa Ree) tipped nearer to a searing rage, "She'll be okay." she reassured him. It would be likely she knew if he were to be left alone in a hallway alone with her, Deva would certainly murder him. Though that was not her problem in the least.

He spun her, turning her so her back pressed against him and she faced Deva and now Raze (@Sreeya) stood beside her also. The woman's eyes narrowed as thoughts danced through her mind; for a moment she was feeling defiant to Deva's rage, it left a bitterness on her tongue. However, seeing Raze stand beside her brought a new type of discomfort. Tia could barely hear Alexi as she felt her stomach sink, watching Raze hand off a drink to her, his gaze catching her own before Alexi spun her back to face himself. Luckily, his eyes were just as brilliant and hypnotizing, drawing her attention to him and no one else, breaking her from mulling over Deva's fury and Raze's...well, deviousness.

"How else would you spark tension?" Tiamat asked, grinning; her gaze caught Deva and Raze again as they circled, though she certainly caught eyes watching her new partner, "I know just simple posture can speak volumes." she said stepping in a little closer, seeing now a blonde woman in a blue dress huff her way from the dance floor.

 

[Deva Gendrel]

Again, that blessed chill to fuel the fire she already felt simmering in her veins.

She didn't know why that purple-eyed male aggravated her so; her fury, tightly leashed, began to strain, and when a drink was handed to her, for a moment she hadn't registered immediately the deep voice that ghosted past her ears. When she did, for a moment her anger was forgotten, but at his words it returned all the more furiously, a fury the likes of which she had only felt a few times through her usual surface apathy.

When she looked up at Raze, a small smile graced her lips, though it more resembled the baring of fangs than an actual grin in its' limited, joyless capacity. "I must admit, you in a bodysuit was certainly... striking." Taking a sip, she once again turned her gaze towards the dancing couple. Her hand tightened around the glass when he casually mentioned being discarded. Humiliation burned in her chest when she could feel other eyes sliding over her, dismissing her once again. Whispering about that damned male.

"I don't know... do we?" she queried calmly as she tilted her head towards Raze once more, purple eyes glimmering darkly, the glass halfway to her lips.

Raising her other hand subtly as though to press it against her chest, she began to crush her fingers down, and that tight restraint began to slip all the more.

At first, the male Alexi would feel a slight pressure around his neck. Perhaps his collar would feel a bit too tight, uncomfortable even. But as the steps of the waltz would continue, the constraint would continue, to the point it would become increasingly difficult to breathe, to talk. All the while, she would stand, seemingly calm as she sipped from her drink, watching the pair. She was dangerously close to snapping, to fully strangling the male where he stood. It only took a little more encouragement--

@GABA @Sreeya @Raydo

 

[Alexi Stravos]

He felt her body tense slightly, noticed the subtle catch of her breath in her chest.

It was brief as she spun back around stepping in closer than before. He grinned at her question. “Why that depends on how much trouble you want to get in” he said, their bodies pressly lightly together as they continued their dance. “I am at your service.” he joked.

As the song built, so did the complexity of their dance. He dipped her, lifting her slowly when he had a slight pressure in his throat. Thinking it was nothing he ignored it for a moment but as it grew he couldn't stifle the cough, a slight sweat beading on his forehead.

He slowed, pulling at his collar before stopping. “I apologize, my lady.” he said, pausing, the other couples dancing around them for a moment. “Perhaps I should sit..” a round of coughing cut off his sentence as he made his way off the dance floor in search of a chair.

@GABA @Killa Ree @Sreeya

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Her grinned remained, only if he knew how much trouble seemed to find her as much as she found trouble for herself, intentional or not. Their dance continued, requiring the red head to focus and feel on their next steps, her mind leaving alone the knowledge that Deva and Raze stood both together on the side of the dance floor. He dipped her and she let her red hair fall behind her head, trusting he would not drop her as he brought her back up, but something was different and he looked entirely uncomfortable as much as she could feel it from him.

It only quickly became apparent that something was truly wrong as Alexi apologized again as they both stood still among the circling couples. He pulled at his collar and Tiamat glanced to where Deva and Raze stood, feeling the chill of darkness and the whispers of her own shadows pressing against her will to make something from this. She took a couple steps to follow Alexi and frowned before she would find her own way off the dance floor; her lips now pursed with annoyance, a warning gaze set on Deva before she turned to find herself something stronger to drink at the bar to drown out the questions that now stirred in her mind.

Why was Raze next to her? Was she here with him... why was he even here to begin with? Which of course, really annoyed her due to her own curiosity seemed to bite at her for answers she knew she wouldn't get.

 

[Darth Raze]

Raze watched what was happening, sipping from his drink. He was not impressed. His crimson gaze fixed on the male that felt the Force coil around his neck, “Are you going to simply let him believe that he is choking on his drink? You will not let him know it was you?” He scoffed, snaking deeper into Deva’s mind. He had already found an opening and he was planting deep roots now. He sought out her insecurities, her vulnerabilities, and he made himself right at home there in her mind.

“Look how she sees you,” His voice was half out loud, half an echo within her mind. She would see Tiamat glaring at her, the image searing into her mind even if she closed her eyes, “A look of disgust is all you can muster from her. All because of him,” Externally Raze continued to calmly drink from his glass, his demeanor not betraying what he was doing in the slightest.

“They see you as an insect,” He said, “Because you are one. You scurry in the shadows and act from the distance because you are too weak to do otherwise,” They were his words, but they would echo as her own thoughts. They would feed into her rage, attacking her where she was vulnerable and weak. She would tremble with anger, and it would all be directed at those before her.

@Killa Ree