Open The Party Bus is Coming!

[Syn Validottor]

So what do you get when you combine copious amounts of alcohol, no adult supervision and Sith Acolyte's? The answer dear viewers is complete and utter chaos and that was the aim of the game tonight for Syn. 'Mad Blue Syn' as her master had affectionately called her was currently dangling from the ceiling of the first floor, mag boots keeping her stuck to the roof, swinging from side to side her long blue ponytail was dipping into people's drink, smacking them upside the head and all that. I few gave her a dirty look, but most were as far gone as the upside dancing girl to really care.

Dark blue ripped jeans and a black crop top completed the mag boot ensemble, as she danced in one spot shaking her hips and body from side to side, arms flaying around like a manic. She had duck tapped a six pack of beer to her waist, a super long bendy straw allowing her to drink and still party. A loud cheer seemed to erupt as another women (@lizziie) entered the bus from the immediate crowd around she must be the 'Bus Messiah', 'Bringer of Booze', 'Blessed of the ID', 'Master of the Shitfaced'.

Still upside down Syn began making her way over to the 'Messiah' for the beer cans were running dry and she needed to replace the fluid she was sweating out. Hanging above she could see a bottle of Vodka in the bag. "Thank you, blessed alcohol giver." She giggled to herself before reaching out with The Force to pull it out of the bag and towards her outstretched hand. It was about half way when the giant horned man (@Sreeya) went past, she had seen him already, I mean he was pretty hard to miss, but this time well he came a little too close.

You see the problem with hanging upside down with a massive blue ponytail was well, it has a tendency to get caught on the sharp horns of passing Sith Acolyte's. And said sharp horned acolyte's are usually well built and pretty strong, so with only one leg attached to the ceiling you have a tendency to get yanked off said ceiling. The plus side this time was that Syn never hit the floor, instead the little five foot something girl was now hanging from the man's horns like an extremely over the top hair tie. Good news though, she caught the bottle of Vodka.

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Success! They had picked up Malou without incident. Or, without any incidents that Cairo could see from tue pilot's nest of the party bus. He began to steer the ship back towards a festive-looking parade route, where dozens of other party buses and floating floats, like this one, were gently floating through the skies of G'wenee. He took a moment behind the steering wheel to feel at ease, momentarily. Joyful, even. But Cairo didn't want to just linger behind the pilot's seat indefinitely. He plotted

On a lower deck, Cairo spotted Altair. He could sense the boy's rage, something he would need to talk to his friend about, and he saw one of his horns inadvertently swoop up another person at the party. His eyes widened. And then there was Malou. His eyes widened again. She looked...truly incredible. But she was barely an ant from this position - would she notice him? And should he try to talk to her again?

All these fucking hormones, man. Was there a Zeltron floating around somewhere? Cairo felt embarrassed at himself for being so easily thrown off, so easily embarrassed. Unfortunately, being embarrassed at your own embarrassment was a rather vicious cycle.

Focusing on the present should help. Cairo plotted an automatic course, high and slow, for the party bus. He'd have to find the droid pilot again at some point, but that could probably be done later, right?

Right now, Cairo hopped from the top deck, grabbing on to a rope to slide down towards the crowd of people he mostly knew. He landed by their side, flourishing as he did.

"Hey Malou," He smiled, sheepishly. "It's been a minute. 'Sup?"

He turned to Altair and his hanger-on, Syn. "You two alright? Want a hand or anything?" He shot a knowing look to Altair - what was the source of his grumpiness? Would he tell them?

"I'm Cairo, by the way."

@lizziie @Sreeya @Braden

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

With alcohol came attention apparently and Malou felt her heart rate rise as an excited roar carried across the first floor of the bus. She was already out of her comfort zone. 'No one knows that,' the Miralukan reminded herself as she reached into the bag to place another bottle on the table. 'As far as anyone knows you're a party just. Remember what Manon said. Too much will be going on for everyone to care about me. Just have fun.' Easier said than done, of course, but the reminder did something to calm her nerves.

Before Malou could set the bottle in her hands onto the table, a hand snatched it from her grasp and popped off the cup with a flick of a clawed thumb. The Miralukan turned her body slightly toward the stranger, assessing the man as she did so. 'Horns?' Four horns, in fact. 'Oh, a Devaronian.' Malou had never actually met a Devaronian. They probably avoided Serenno; she'd never seen one there before.

"Cheers," was her reply to the clinking of the two bottles. There was an edge of surprise in her voice. She still wasn't quite sure if she should interpret his actions as rude or not. He followed with an up-and-down look and a compliment, something that brought a bit of heat to her blindfolded face, so she decided he hadn't intended to be rude.

"Thanks. I like your h-" B[efore Malou could finish, her Sight caught the motion of a woman falling not-so-gracefully from the ceiling and into the Devaronian's horns. Malou couldn't really gawk in the same way everyone else could, but her attention was certainly on the blue-haired girl hanging from the Devaronian's horns. 'How-?'

Swoosh. The sound of rope cutting through the air diverted her attention from Altair and Syn to the man quickly making his way towards the three. It took her but a moment to recognize the Morellian, so when he landed and greeted her, she returned his smile with one of her own. 'He looks nice.'

"Hey Cairo. Nice driving." When she'd thought about the reply, it was meant to come out a bit teasing. His flying didn't look all that back from the ground, but she was sure those inside got a bit tousled around. That edge of humor didn't quite make it to the final sentence though. It came out just sounding like a random compliment. "I-" 'Recover. Recover!' "I'm Malou, by the way," introduced the Miralukan quickly to Syn and Altair. With a twist of her wrist, the remaining bottles of alcohol rose out of the bag and settled themselves onto the chosen table.

"Here, I've got her." Malou raised her hands and, using the Force, slowly lifted the blue-haired Syn up and out of the Devaronian's personal space. The girl would feel the Force around her hold her still as Malou untangled her hair from the horns. Once her hair was free, Malou released her hold on it. Syn would drop about a foot; it was up to her to get her own footing.

"Sorry, I was going to say I like your horns." She was also going to ask how strong they were, but if they could support a five foot girl hanging from them, they must be.

"Have you seen Ashla?" Malou added as she turned back to address Cairo again. The champion wanted to s her Togruta friend. She was the one who'd asked her to bring all this alcohol after all.

tag: @Sreeya @Braden @Fine Dining Set @Wit

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help but smile warmly up at Altair, watching as the Devaronian ran his fingers across his buzzed head. Her own gaze flicked down to the low-cut shirt he was wearing before returning to his violet eyes. She heard him begin to mention her appearance, only his compliment to be completely interested by the kid who slammed into the back of the Devaronian.

She let out a high pitch squeak as they were both sent tumbling to the floor. Her hands instinctively reached out to latch onto the closest thing to her – which meant wrapping around Altair’s torso as they fell, landing on top of him. She glanced in the direction of the guy who knocked them over, narrowing her eyes ever-so-slightly before looking back to Altair. “It’s fine, really.” Vahliri said softly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. She lifted her head a bit, only to just then realize her black hair was tangled in his horns.

As a result, the half-Sephi simply lingered in place while Altair untangled her hair – her face remaining close his own. There was an undeniable flush of red on her cheeks at that moment, and her ears swiveled a bit until he finally freed her black locks. “Never been better.” She said with a smile, literally just laying there for a few seconds until Altair motioned for them to get up.

Accepting his hand and dusting herself off once she was back on her feet, Vahliri watched as Altair began watch away and weave through the crowds – her gaze lingering on him for far longer than necessary. Without really thinking about it, the half-Sephi reached up and ran her fingers through her wavey hair – fixing it back into place as she looked at him. Her attention was drawn back to Anai when the girl mumbled under her breath.

Brushing the entire situation off, Vahliri offered the Kaleesh a smile. “It’s nice to meet you Anai.” She opened her mouth to say something else, only for her attention to be drawn towards Altair and some other girl the moment the word ‘bigot’ filled the air. She glanced between the two of them, quickly putting two-and-two together as Jordi began to walk off. Her eyes narrowed significantly, ears flattened towards her skull as she proceeded to glare daggers at the Acolyte.

The half-Sephi briefly considered pulling off a similar move she'd done on Indupar and target the Acolyte's heel with the Force. It wasn’t until Anai spoke up again that Vahliri looked back, nodding at the prospect of getting a drink. “Count me in.” She said with a faint smirk, following the Kaleesh towards the group that had congregated around the newly brought alcohol.

“Thanks for the drinks,” Vahliri said as she arrived, picking up one of the bottles that the Champion had brought before proceeding to twist the cap off and take a swig. While she appeared confident enough on the surface, the half-Sephi was more than bit nervous internally to just be chatting it up with a Champion she’d never met. “I love the dress. I’m Vahliri.”

She couldn’t help but glance up at the blue-haired girl walking upside down, blinking a few times as her hair proceeded to get tangled up in the Altair’s horns. Luckily, Malou was there to quickly use the Force to untangle the azure locks before anyone was accidentally yanked off the ceiling.

Her honeyed eye flicked over to Cairo as he arrived, greeting the Morellian with a smile. Him, Altair and Ashla were the three other people that she actually knew well, and the half-Sephi seemed to brighten a bit at another friendly face. “Heya Cairo.” Naturally, her attention drifted towards Ashla – just as Malou questioned the Togruta’s whereabouts.

“Yeah, she’s..” Vahliri’s gaze flicked past Malou and Cairo, spotting the Togruta practically getting swarmed by every single motherfucker who couldn’t take a hint despite Altair and Vahliri separately making it pretty damn easy to pick up on what they were doing. “There.” She jutted her chin in that direction, gesturing to Ashla and the trashy ass Acolyte standing with her.

Glancing towards the plastic container, Vahliri reached forward and plucked one of the ‘magic’ brownies from the rest of the batch – taking a small bite of the chocolatey treat. Vahliri’s gaze then flicked back to Altair, lingering on the Devaronian for a few seconds. He didn’t need to say anything for the half-Sephi to know that he was still fuming from the earlier incident, offering him a small smile as they stood there. She briefly glanced up towards the dance floor on the roof, remembered that the bitchy Acolyte from earlier was up there, and decided against asking for the moment.

Instead, she glanced away from Altair, her eyes flicking over to an empty table which had been set up for beer pong. Vahliri looked back to the group, glancing between them before gesturing to that same table. “Anyone down?”

@Sreeya @Wit @LouJoVi @Versok @Fine Dining Set @GABA @lizziie

 

[Ashla Ti]

Ashla was chatting with Senin and Hagar when a disturbance drew their attention, given how past Sith "parties" had gone, she totally expected fight to have broken off. But she was pleasantly surprised by cheers actually being cheers, Malou had arrived. Though Ashla wasn't sure if the cheers were for her or for the alcohol she brought, she was pretty, popular, and a champion, so probably both.

"Malou!" She tried to call across the crowd but the song peaked just then and drowned her voice out. Realizing she needed to head over to greet her, she started to run, before stopping and stopping in front of Senin and grabbing his face between her hands, glaring pointedly at him. "Acos before wackos, right? Acos before wackos. Talk to her." Satisfied with that, taking whatever reaction he gave to her sudden invasion of his personal space as agreement, she waved for him and Hagar to follow and finding a sudden clearing in the dance floor dashed through to make for Malou.

Of course that was when her clothing choices came to bite her in the ass. The weird half-jacket, half-cloak, all confused drape thing she was wearing momentarily caught on someone's hand and tugged her to the side, making her lose her balance. She did a weird arm twirl to keep her balance and continued running, but some of the dancers took it to be a step and start imitating her. Looking back at them in surprise, she continued her dash, spotting Malou and the others through another clearing in the crowd and calling out to her.

"MaloOOOOOAAAAahh" The call turned into a scream as she stepped on something wet and went sliding along the floor, about to shoot right past the group of acolytes but managing to grab onto Malou's arm at the last moment to stop her wild dash towards Force knew where.

Straightening herself with as much grace as her sliding dash, the alcohol helped her ignore any shame and simply greet Malou with a wide smile. "Hi!" Was all she said, wide grin on her face, completely ignoring the spectacle she had just put up to get there.

@Sreeya @Altaris @LouJoVi @Versok @Fine Dining Set @lizziie

 

[Altair Din]

Truthfully, Altair didn’t even notice his horn latched onto someone else. He kept moodily walking to get his drink and was tossing it back. His focus was briefly on the guy from earlier that slammed into him. The Devaronian caught his apologetic expression and his own annoyance began to melt away. When he saw the gills and the fangs, he felt a bit better. He smiled at the dude in return, flashing his own set of pointed teeth. Altair took a proffered brownie, taking a bite before he finally noticed the girl attached to his horn. His eyes went wide at the sight, but the Champion made short work of untangling her. He automatically went to catch her, wrapping an arm around her torso to help her down. However, he quickly released her after her feet hit the ground in case she also thought he was a monster, "Er- sorry," He blurted to the blue haired girl.

Altair was caught entirely off guard by Malou even talking to him, let alone paying him a compliment. As a result, violet eyes widened and he covered his mouth, “You ‘oo?” He asked incredulously, “‘ank you,” he said with a mouth full of brownies. His face was flushing with heat, and he simply wanted to melt into the floor. Altair quickly swallowed the brownie, “I’m Altair,” He said to Malou, but she was already swarmed.

He turned to regard Cairo when he made his dramatic entrance, rolling his eyes with a faint grin. When the Morellian asked what happened, he simply shook his head, “Oh you know, being my usual demonic self,” He muttered dryly. His buddy would know instantly what happened. He had been around Altair enough to know the Devaronian constantly faced prejudice.

Altair was about to speak to Malou again when Ashla came out of nowhere to run into her. Probably for the best. Malou was just being nice. He looked at Vahliri. Same with her. These girls probably thought he was a curious specimen of sorts and would never see him as anything more. They were so hilariously out of his league it wasn’t even funny. Who the hell was he kidding? The acolyte that stormed off was, in many ways, the most honest because she found him terrifying and disgusting. It was how most of the galaxy saw him, after all. Altair clapped Cairo on the back, “Thanks for not getting us killed, bro,” He said with a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He extracted himself away from the crowds, still very much depressed from the earlier encounter.

Feeling a buzz and the beginnings of a high, Altair walked over to grab the hallikset he brought with him. He was in no mood to partake in beer pong or crazy shots. He found a stage area in the corner that was normally used for performances. It was where he felt like he could be himself without any kind of shame. It was where he could express himself without any predisposed notions. He took a seat on the stool and pointed the mic his way, not even caring who was listening.

The Devaronian tuned the hallikset for a moment before he began strumming the strings. Shortly after, he leaned towards the mic and began to sing. It wasn’t a cheery or upbeat song, but it was an expression of the emotions he felt. It was a foreign folk song that he sang in another language. Altair closed his eyes as he sang, his passions carrying with his voice. Those watching would note he was strumming the strings not with a pick but with the clawed nails they found so terrifying. Devil fingers worked dexterously across the strings to play the hallikset effortlessly while he sang.

SONG​

For all the way he was different, music was universal. From Ashla who didn’t understand social norms, to Malou who couldn’t see, to Anai who felt like an outsider, to Sol who didn’t speak, to Senin who could understand many of the words, and to everyone else that judged him, they could all hear it all the same. They could all hear the passion in his voice, hear the dedication in the way he played his instrument.

People that were whispering about him moments prior stopped what they were doing, surprised at the display. It was the first time any of them would learn that Altair had this talent. For the Devaronian, he was seemingly oblivious to this all. He was just a boy and his hallikset.

@Wit @Kestrel @LouJoVi @Fine Dining Set @lizziie @Altaris @llamallove @Scoobert @Braden @Mr. Teatime

 

[Syn Validottor]

Syn spun to one side, legs dangling out in front of her as the horned one turned on the spot. "Weeee." Her fun was however quickly spoiled by the mighty 'Bringer of Booze' as she deftly lifted her up with The Force, untangled her braid from the multiple horns of Altair and dropped Syn. That wasn't very nice, she was trying to neck the bottle of Vodka and did not have the concentration to do both that and use her legs effectively. Luckily for her Altair turned and caught her round the waist, granted it made her spit out a bit of the Vodka, but that was a small price to pay for not dropping the whole bottle.

"No worries Spikey. Happens all the time." She replied with a big smile, "Hey you, their my beer cans." She shouted towards a group of miscreants who had assembled around the last two can's of beer which had fallen from her duct tap satchel. By the time she had snatched them back and safety secured them inside her top, Spikey had disappeared. Luckily the 'Blessed of the ID' was still there, so Syn went to pay her thanks, walking over with all the exaggerated swagger of a drunken sixteen year old girl she gave the crowd a big smile. "Blessed of the ID, Bringer of Intoxication, thank you for generosity this day... ooo is that Bright Blue Furry Haired Lama Bean flavoured Rum. Sweet." Without a second thought she snatched up the bottle and turn and fled the scene.

She was about five sweaty Acolyte's away when she heard Spikey begin playing his song. "Aww, is always this sad. Maybe some Bright Blue Furry Haired Lama Bean flavoured Rum will cheer him up." Syn tried to make her way towards the man, but the mass of flesh was gathering around the musician and well, she had a little too much to force her way through without landing on her face. "I've got it, well done me." She shouted to no one but herself. Sticking her fingers in the top of each bottle to make sure they wouldn't spill, Syn pulled a little Force Energy into herself before leaping up into the air. With a quick half spin and a tap of the heels to activate the boots she was once again upon the ceiling.

"This is easier, now lets go see Spikey." Without the pressure of Acolyte flesh to get past she was easily front row within seconds. Well less front row more hanging directly above the man. Syn swayed from side to side as he finished the last parts of the song, switching from Vodka to Bright Blue Furry Haired Lama Bean flavoured Rum every know and then. Once he finished she gave him a big smile, she was hard to ignore with her braid dangling down in front of his face. "Hey Spikey, you ran off without a drink. I've got Vodka or Bright Blue Furry Haired Lama Bean flavoured Rum. What you fancy?"

@Sreeya @lizziie

 

[Anai Skhess]

As more and more people came along, Anai did her best to try and keep up as new faces came and talked to each other. First the blue haired woman hanging out on Altair's horns, the Kaleesh acolyte just wondering where she hell she came from and how she was not spilling her drink all over the floor from such a position, given how she was very likely to be drunk already. Then the person that announced himself to be their captain earlier dropped from seemingly nowhere, Anai giving the man an awkward wave in response "Anai, nice to meet you, captain Cairo...And everyone else as well." the Kaleesh acolyte said, which probably sounded like a joke, but it was certainly unintentional on her part.

Then Anai looked at Malou, squinting her eyes a little bit as she noticed that the human looking lady the blue haired lady called "blessed alcohol giver" was wearing a blindfold. Why was that? Was she injured and blinded in a battle? She didn't seem to have any visible scars on her face in general, so perhaps not, so Anai arrived to the conclusion that this was some kind of acolyte training and Malou was a very diligent student, which made Anai respect her a little bit already, seeing how using force sense in an environment such as this one was probably pretty annoying. Of course, the Kaleesh also didn't realize that she was actually a champion and not an acolyte, but she would have time to learn that later.

"I'll watch for now, maybe after the first...round" Not knowing exactly what the fellow pointy ear girl wanted to play, Anai decided to watch for a bit in order to understand it before joining, thinking it was a better course of action that telling them to explain it to her and looking even more clueless than she already did, taking a glance at the togruta that had to grab the blindfolded one in order to stop herself "...This place is definitely better for balance training than what they have at the temple" She muttered once more, this time loud enough for it to be heard instead of under her breath as she got a bit more used to being around multiple people.

And then, her gaze returned to the person that talked to her first in this party as he started playing an instrument and singing. Unlike the strange music that was played on top of the bus that people were dancing to, this was...Familiar, not unlike the songs she heard back at her home planet. Subconsciously tapping her foot as she enjoyed Altair's voice singing, letting out a small smile as she did. Of course, she didn't understand the lyrics, as they weren't from one of the two languages she spoke, but she did get a rough idea of what Altair himself was feeling, not only because she had heard what he told the woman before and now to Cairo, but also because she had experienced stuff like that in the past. Maybe she would try to talk to the man later, after he finished singing, of course, didn't want to disturb him. Specially since he already had the blue haired wild card to do that at the moment.

@Braden @Wit @lizziie @Altaris @Fine Dining Set @Sreeya

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

With the drinks came the crowd. What looked to be a sort of Sephi around her height showed up next and complimented her outfit. "Malou, and thank you! Your outfit is cute too." Vahliri not only looked good in her skirt and shirt combo, but she seemed comfortable in it too. Malou wondered if she wore cute things all the time, or if she was like Malou and dawned it just for the party. Regardless, she couldn't tell. A compliment from a girl on her outfit did more to soothe her nerves than it did coming from a guy.

Before Malou could do anything else, a familiar voice called out her name from across the room. The Miralukan was able to single out the Togruta acolyte just as Ashla came sliding towards her at full speed. She had only a moment to brace herself before the unstoppable force barreling towards her met the immovable object she was trying to become.

"Oof-" Malou braced herself and avoided being bulldozed by throwing back a leg, but she was thrown off balance for a good few seconds. Once she was sure she wasn't going to topple over, she took a step back to create a bit of distance between her and the Togrtua and said with a chuckle, "It seems I need to catch up on drinking."

'Beer pong?' That was a drinking game, right? Malou turned her head in the direction of Vahliri's voice, then back towards Ashla as if to ask if she was down. Before she could head off in that direction though, she was assaulted by the oddest string of words she had ever been addressed with.

"I-" And then she was gone. Even beneath her blindfold, Malou's eyes mimicked the muscle movements of a flabbergasted blink. "Huh?" With no idea how to react to the situation, Malou grabbed Ashla's wrist in one hand, a wine cooler in the other, and decided to just exit the area. "Let's go play beer pong! Cairo, you coming?" The Miralukan did make a full stop to wait for him to come along. Though she noticeably did not turn her head back to look at him. She didn't really need to do that.

With or without him, once Malou was over by Vahliri, she would release Ashla's wrist and say, "I don't really know how to play, but count me in!" She'd drank half the wine cooler between here and there already. Beer pong involved drinking the beer inside the solo cups, right?

While Malou was trying to recall any information she knew about party games, specifically beer pong, the sound of singing drifted over the rowdy crowd. She didn't recognize the song, but the more she listened the easier it was to pick out the melody as the crowd simmered down a tad to allow the singer's voice to carry farther. It caused her to pause, and her Sight searched for the source. She certainly wasn't the only one to do so.

'Damn, he can sing.' Too bad he was all the way over there and she was over by beer pong. If she remembered, she'd say something about it later.

tags: @Wit @Braden @Fine Dining Set @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri’s ears flattened the slightest bit, a frown tugging at her lips as she overheard the words spoken between Altair and Cairo. Starting on that first day on Indupar, the half-Sephi had seen the prejudice that Altair faced in his every day life, and she had seen and heard the entire exchange with Jordi. She glanced up at him when he briefly looked in her direction, and she clearly noted the smile that didn’t smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes before he extracted himself from the group.

The half-Sephi glanced back at the beer pong table and then to the rest of the group, suddenly losing any interest in her earlier suggestion. The half-Sephi had largely suggested it to lighten the mood and put the poor interactions of the night behind them, but seeing Altair walk off solemnly killed any desire for Vahl to participate.

“Hey Ashla,” She briefly glanced toward the Togruta, giving the fellow Acolyte a wave of her fingers in greeting before looking back towards the stage. Whether anyone took Vahliri up on her suggestion and made their way towards the table, the half-Sephi had her attention elsewhere. “Actually.. Maybe in a bit.” She said towards Malou.

She lingered in place for a few seconds, taking another large swig from her bottle before walking in the same direction that Altair had walked off – weaving between the crowds of sweaty acolytes packed into the bus like sardines. She could already feel a healthy buzz and quite a bit of warmth in her face from the alcohol in her system, and the beginnings of the brownie she munched down starting to take their effect.

Practically shoving her way through the crowds of sweaty ass, drunken acolytes, Vahliri moved towards the very front of the stage where Altair had set himself up – arriving just as the Devaronian started to strum the strings of his instrument and start to sing. In that moment, Vahliri couldn’t help but stare directly at him – unmoving as she listened. It was a language she didn’t understand, and yet all the emotions conveyed were universally understood.

Unlike the very first time she’d been him perform for a crowd on Indupar, Vahliri made no attempts to join him on stage and insert herself into the song. There was a passion and dedication in the way that he sung and played, and she had no desire to ruin what was entirely his moment.

Whether he knew it or not, Altair had all of Vahliri’s attention in that moment – the half-Sephi inexplicably toning out the rest of the party to stare up at him. Unlike the countless people who whispered and threw names at the Devaronian, Vahliri had never seen Altair for the devil or demon that people labeled him as. All she saw was the same boy she’d randomly met at some festival on Indupar, and danced with atop some random rooftop. She saw the same boy who’d come back to pull her and Ashla from the fire, losing his greatest mark of pride in the process. She saw Altair for who the Devaronian was, rather than focusing on all the things that made him different.

There was an almost dazed look on the half-Sephi’s face as she stood there, a fond smile worked its way onto her lips that spread wide. As per usual, she was entirely unaware of the ways her ears swiveled and twitched – betraying how she was feeling without so much as saying a word, and didn’t hardly notice the way she idly began to toy with a loose strand of her black hair.

Her eyes briefly flicked up to the blue-haired girl who approached from the ceiling, though the half-Sephi didn’t make any moves towards Altair until he’d sung the last verse of his song. Only then did Vahliri approach, walking up to the edge of his stage. She purposefully didn't ascend up to join him, considering the poor dude got swarmed the last time. “That was beautiful, Altair.” She said softly and simply. "You're amazing."

@Sreeya @Wit @lizziie @Braden

 

[Senin Ravelo]

Senin smiled at Cairo's comment (@Fine Dining Set). "Yes, you should learn how to party with the locals. Do you know, I have three passes for a VIP area where you can watch the Parades. Would you like to go with me?" He had noticed how the boy was looking at Ashla and he wanted to push them together.

The other pass was going to be given to the girl and once they were there, he would excuse himself, hoping to to leave them alone. With the Togruta having the attention span of a baby loth-cat, the two would never be able to talk about feelings while they were on this crowded bus. Only an idiot would think that it could work. The two alone in a room would be a better strategy.

"Think about it!" Senin would say while Cairo walked away, going to do something else. The G’weneen went to talk with Ashla, who was with Malou (@Wit @lizziie). There was a girl with pointed ears with them, but she left before he had arrived. He was unsure about being near the Miralukan, they were still trying to work out what happened between them, but the young man still felt so ashamed near her.

"Hello, Mi-" he stopped, was wrong to call her this way. "Hello, Malo! Your clothes are very nice!" he was being sincere, the Miralukan was gorgeous with what she was wearing. Then he turned to the Togruta. "Ashla, I have three passes for the Carnival parade tomorrow. Would you like to go with me? I invited Cairo, too. There will be colorful costumes and good music."

Before he could hear the Togruta's answer, the Acolyte heard someone start to sing. "You can tell me your decision after the party." he walked close to where the voice was coming. Senin saw a horned boy, who the G'weneen suspected to be a Devaronian (@Sreeya), singing and playing an instrument.

The Devaronian looked like one of the demons that Senin used to see in some old Humbarine texts that were at the Great Library. However, the guy had an angelic voice. It wasn’t something from this Galaxy. Being from G'weneen, he could understand part of this song, and it was beautiful and sad at the same time.

After the Devaronian finished, Senin started to clap. "Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! It was amazing!" he had tears in his eyes. The Acolyte wondered if the other would do an encore if he asked. Then he noticed that he was next to a boy that he didn't know (@Mr. Teatime). "Hello! My name is Senin." he offered his hand.

 

[Zoella Dorran]

Zoella peered into the bag of snacks, hungrily eyeing dried squid. "I'll bet you don't get a lot of takers on these, huh?" she asked, not expecting the boy to answer as she reached in and took one. With her mouth full, she continued. "Thanks. These are a favorite back on my home planet. Usually I like to dip it in garlic aioli, but I'm absolutely starving! I haven't eaten a thing all day."

Brushing a pair of pale hands against her jeans, green eyes stared with interest at the nametag the young boy pointed to. Were they supposed to wear nametags? Zoella glanced around. No one else was. "Sol? It's nice to meet you. I'm Zoella. I'd shake your hand, but we sort of already did."

The teenager followed Sol through the crowded bus. Usually she wouldn't allow a twelve year old to boss her around, but she had to assume he was leading her toward more food. He couldn't carry that bag around with him all night, after all. Sol placed a supperware container full of chocolate brownies on the food table, and the blonde teenager squinted at the labels.

"Magic?" she read aloud, eyeing Sol out of the corner of her eye. If anyone but a twelve year old had brought these, she would have to assume they were spiked. She might have grown up sheltered in the palace of Arkanis, but she had heard of such things. But Sol was just a wide-eyed kid, and clearly he had baked these himself.

"Thanks again," she smiled at the boy, snatching one of the brownies and taking a bite.

The sound of a guitar cut through the boisterous crowd, every chord and each stroke amplified over the surround sound system of the party bus. A voice soon accompanied, foreign but expressive and thick with emotion. Zoella couldn't understand the lyrics, but they were no less powerful. It was beautiful— gentle and significant, and the teenager found herself searching for the source.

The source of the sound wasn't hard to locate, green eyes simply following the group of teenagers that had shifted toward one corner of the bus. Swaying to the music, they congregated around a small stage equipped with microphone and instruments. Breaks in the crowd allowed Zoella a partial but brief glimpse of the musician, with horns and a closely shaved head. A Devaronian or even a Chagrian perhaps?

"Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" she asked no one in particular, lifting a hand to her forehead. Sol had been pulled into conversation by some ginger, and she stood alone. All of the color had drained from her face, and there really was none to begin with. The party bus began to spin around her, and her stomach began to tie itself in knots.

Suddenly, Zoella gagged. Then she gagged again, lurching forward and depositing the contents of her stomach on the shoes of some unfortunate stranger. She stared at the sullied shoes, eyes wide and unblinking. "Caraya's soul! I'm so sorry!" she spluttered, not daring to make eye contact. "I'm... I'm sure that will come right out. I need to get some fresh air."

She shoved the half-eaten brownie into their hands and darted for a set of nearby stairs that would lead to the open top bus. One hand remained clasped around her lips, an ineffective mouth guard. With the other hand, she pushed her way through the crowd until reaching the railing.

Just in time, too. The teenager breathed a sigh of relief, sinking over the railing as she tuned out the party and focused on the sounds of the carnival beneath. Maybe dried squid and a brownie aren't such a good idea on an empty stomach, she thought to herself, running a hand through her blonde hair. Something wet and squishy clung to her hand, and she froze. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.

"Does anyone have a comb?" she asked, a note of panic in her voice. "Or a glass of water or something?" Of course, no one heard her. Green eyes scanned the side tables around her, not expecting to find anything useful but still clinging to hope. "I just... I just need something to—"

Before that sentence could be finished, Zoella tripped over her own feet and tumbled for the railing of the party bus. A small squeal escaped her lips, and almost immediately the sounds of the party were drowned out by a loud splash! the water that engulfed her.

Zoella rose to the surface, gasping for air as she watched the party bus float away. Swimming toward the edge of the rooftop pool, she climbed out and hoped that the owners of this penthouse were the understanding sort. No more parties for a while...

@Mr. Teatime @Sreeya ​

 

[Soleil Altan]

He shook his head at Zoe. No one much went for the squid- really that was just for him anyway- but he was fine with sharing. His hands went through a series of motions and he smiled when she introduced herself, nodding once to show she'd gotten his name right. Sol knew the name tag would come in handy. She also got a serious-looking nod when she said 'magic' aloud. He assumed she knew what that meant she took one and paid it no further mind.

Sol looked pleased his attempt at peacemaking seemed to cheer Altair up a bit, a brownie taken from the stack. Other than Altair he seemed to get rather little notice. About normal for Sol given how quiet he was, although the magic snacks were getting some attention. Hopefully no one decided to eat more than one. Oh well, it wouldn't kill them.

He amused himself by watching the chaotic situation around. A blue-haired girl got entangled from the Devaronian's horns, someone swung in dramatically, and Sol gave his bottled whatever a try. It was sweet and bitter. Sol made a face at it, unsure if he really liked it or not, and went back to people-watching. He looked toward Altair again when he mentioned being "his demonic self", a perplexed expression forming. Sol's lips curled downward a little as the Devaronian wandered off.

Being who he was, Sol heard lots of rumours whispered through the library and hallways on Dromund Kaas. It's not like the silent acolyte would repeat them, right? Most of them were truly unkind things about various people. He hoped the horned man hadn't heard the worst of them about people who lookeed like him.

Sol was a bit out of his element here. He wasn't uncomfortable at the party, per say, he just didn't really go to parties all that often. Was he supposed to play that tabletop game with all the cups? No, they looked they had enough people. His face twisted up a little and he grabbed a brownie for himself and started to wander a little, nothing specific really in mind.

Dancing strings caught his attention, each fluttering through the air like butterflies in grassy plains. Sol's head turned to find the source, immediately interested in this new development, and paused mid-bite of his brownie when he saw who the voice was coming from. The sound of it surrounded the strings, painting it with warm, yet sorrowful light cast from a setting sun that mourning what could have been that day. His brownie fell out of his hand away from his mouth, fascinated by the picture of Altair up on the stage, each clawed finger plucking away at his Hallikset while he sang.

Something about how the coloured lights hit the angles of his face, maybe, or how the tone of voice was reflected on his face. When the song ended, Sol realized he'd been standing stock still, stuck stupefied and staring. He blinked three times, feeling uncomfortably warm. His hands rose up to form a frame encompassing the man on stage and decided he wanted to get closer.

Wait, was someone talking to him? A teary-eyed and red-haired somebody spoke up to introduce themselves and offered a hand. Sol's hands went through an abridged motion of welcome, tapped the nametag that said Sol on it, and shook Senin's hand amiably enough. He did surreptitiously check if any glitter had been transferred in the process, though. Sol looked around a bit for a better viewing point of the stage that wasn't packed with people, noting Zoella seemed to have disappeared from sight as well during the exchange of names.

Off he went toward and around the edge of the crowd, trying to get himself up atop a table in view of the stage. A little notebook and pencil he always kept him summoned seemingly from nowhere in his hands. A friendly wave to Senin as he walked off was his attempt at telling him he was welcome to come along, but he was still going to go where he intended to go. His half-eaten brownie lay on the ground somewhere, entirely forgotten.

@Sreeya @llamallove @LouJoVi

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was starting to feel better as he kept singing, detached from everyone and everything. He finally opened his eyes by the time the song ended, and he realized he was suddenly surrounded by a crowd. Clapping and cheering ensued and suddenly over half the bus was congregated by the stage. Between the drinking and the herbs, his confidence shot way up, the earlier mope quickly melting away. He smiled at the crowd, glancing to the side when Blue floated over again. He had to scoff at the nickname, with his horns he preferred Spikey over the usual alternative.

“The rum sounds lit,” He declared, taking it from her hand and taking a solid swig before handing it back. Altair was more than a little impressed at the flavor, usually finding cheap rum to be gross. Clearly this was higher quality, “Thanks!” He said to her cheerfully before he noticed Vahliri up front. As he moodily kept his eyes closed the entire time, he didn’t notice earlier that she came over. She would always stand out in a crowd with her stunning features and tattoos. Altair stared at her with a slightly dazed expression on his face, her words jolting him back to reality. His face immediately heated up and he blinked a few times.

“I uh……” He blurted out awkwardly. However, he was almost drowned out by the crowds cheering for him to sing again. Altair looked up and exhaled. He stood up and moved the stool away, standing in front of the mic. He shrugged off his jacket, revealing the tanks that showed off his chest tattoo and muscled arms along with multiple beaded bracelets. He looked out at the crowd, looking over at Anai, Vahliri, Senin, Sol, Blue and anyone else watching him. With a new sense of confidence, he began strumming again, this time playing an older song, but a beautiful classic.

SONG​

His voice began to powerfully project once more, this time lacking the somber tone it had before. He was up on his feet and he slowly began to rock to the music. It was clear he moved with a new swagger as his torn tight jeans and boots carried him across the stage, his studded belt around his hips on display. He serenaded the crowd, letting his gaze linger every so often on certain faces. He sang while he looked at Anai (@Versok), offering her a charming smile while he sang the bits of the song that were in another language. He looked to Senin (@LouJoVi ) and Sol (@Mr. Teatime ), letting his gaze linger on them for a bit he looked away.

As he walked the length of the stage and performed, the mic stand glided with him effortlessly with the use of the Force. He swayed and moved as he walked, not afraid to add a little groove to his hips. He moved closer to where Blue’s (@Braden ) braid was hanging and purposely tangled his horn with her hair. He tugged his head a bit, gently nudging her face close to his. He smiled as he passionately sang sweet nothings to her before smoothly nudging his head back and releasing her and walking backwards, flashing her a wink.

Next the mic stand lowered and moved towards the front of the stage. It came close right in front of Vahliri (@Altaris), making it so he had to lean down to sing down to it. Vibrant violet eyes met her gaze as he moved in close to sing to her, smiling as he did so. He lingered there for a bit before he planted his foot on the base of the mic stand, making it pop upright again. He stood up straight and continued to play and sing.

The crowd was fully engaged by now, shouting and cheering and of course getting belligerently drunk. People were dancing, grinding, and all around getting into it. Altair was clearly in his element, dominating the stage as if he were ruling over his kingdom. He kept going until the song finally came to a close.

Unfortunately, his sensual singing and flirty gazes at the crowd had some unintentional effects. For one, a twi’lek girl close by Vahliri that was belligerently drunk already awkwardly crawled onto the stage. Altair stared wide eyed, watching almost in slow motion as she flung her arms and catapulted herself at him. She ended with planting a giant smooch on his lips before he could do anything. Altair used the Force to send her off the stage and tossed back into the crowd, thoroughly mortified. He awkwardly mumbled thanks to the crowd before grabbing his jacket and shuffling off. His face was completely heated and he was furiously rubbing off the bright red lipstick from his mouth.

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

"Hey man, fuck these people!" He had missed who specifically had insulted Altair, and when the young man stormed out, he left Cairo without much context. He opted to give the Devaronian space, as he clearly desired, while he thought of something to do or some place to go where Altair would be respected. To that end, he bit his thumb, smiling at Malou as she paused to ask him if he was coming.

"Get started without me! I'll be right behind you." They could find a substitute, for a second. As Senin spoke to him, he took a second to consider. "Are they only good for tonight? This party might take all I've got." A Carnival parade did sound...dope. It sounded incredible. And a smaller crowd wouldn't be a bad thing - he could get to Senin and Ashla a little better. He had barely spoken to the G'weenean before, and, while he did know Ashla, it was mostly through missions they worked on together. A social outing would be fun.

He had heard Altair play before. He was a supremely talented musician, and he used his natural gift, his claws, to pluck quickly and precisely at the strings. The result was mesmerizing, a true showcase of Altair's talent. He smiled as he heard his friend play, clapping as his vocals started to accompany his guitar work. At the end of the performance, he put his fingers into his mouth, whistling loudly and stomping his feet to signal his appreciation for the performance. Dude was talented. He could consider going pro.

That would be dope propaganda, too. The Empire could use some home-grown musicians who weren't, like, 16th-generation Imperial composers.

Cairo felt the rhythm of the party slowly beginning to shift. An overwhelming amount of chaos, with people bursting in each corner and direction, was gradually giving way towards slow jams, enhanced by Altair's playing. He saw the throngs of girls approaching the music-man, unsurprisingly. Had he learned this skill to talk to women? Of course, Cairo rationalized, that's why people learn anything.

Cairo, however, found himself dance-less. He purposely avoided too-drunk acolytes, and he generally didn't like too-forwardness. So, alone he stood, nibbling on his brownie as he listened to the sound of Altair's playing.

Was that a problem for Captain Cairo, a name he would now insist on using? Nah, he decided. He was just gonna eat an edible and watch the lights from the parade. Too much insanity would mess up his stomach again.

@Sreeya @lizziie @LouJoVi @Versok

 

[Anai Skhess]

Watching from the distance, Anai enjoyed the song from beginning to end, but she quickly noticed that...Well, more people were starting to take interest, which meant that a crowd began to gather and even someone as tall as her had trouble seeing Altair all the way from the back. She quickly gathered that Altair felt a bit better and was about to sing once more, so the Kaleesh acolyte decided that it was time to get a little closer. But before that she grabbed one of the chocolate brownies, while she had tasted chocolate by now, she never had brownies so she thought she might as well "With your permission" Anai nodded at Sol and Senin before disappearing into the crowd with the brownie that definitely had more than just chocolate, not that she knew, of course.

To say that it took a bit to get to the front was a bit of an understatement, with how the people were tightly packed, Anai had to make full use of her strength as she pushed people aside, some ended falling on their asses or spilling their drinks as a result but truth is that due to her current tunnel vision, she didn't even notice.

Anai arrived to the front of the crowd just in time as Altair started singing once more, taking a bite out of the totally normal brownie as she allowed herself to relax with yet another fun song that felt more familiar to her. By the time Altair looked at her, the Kaleesh acolyte would be boping her head to the beat of the song, returning another small smile and an awkward wave in return.

By the time the song finished, Anai would be done with the brownie and have drunk a fair amount from the bottle she had grabbed earlier. Hoping to hear another song after that one, Anai instead watched as a Twi'lek jumped to Altair in a manner similar to that of an apex predator from her planet going for their next meal. The woman being thrown off the stage and landing near her as Altair awkwardly left, which made her arrive to the conclusion that whatever she did meant that she was probably the reason they were not getting another song.

This, of course, annoyed the Kaleesh woman to no end, who saw how the drunk Twi'lek started to try and get up before grabbing the considerably smaller woman by one of the lekku and violently pulling with enough strength to make her fall on her head deeper into the crowd, the yank itself probably leaving a very shameful mark on the lekku for a few weeks from the strength behind it alone. Figuring this display of violence as a punishment would get across how inappropiate what she did was enough. Anai moved towards Vahl, figuring out Altair would come to them as well and she would be with the two that talked to her first.

@LouJoVi @Mr. Teatime @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help but smile up at Altair as the song came to a close, clearly catching sight of the slightly dazed expression on the Devaronian’s face as he stared down at her. Almost instinctively, the half-Sephi reached up to brush a few loose strands of hair back into place, staring up at him as he began to speak. Of course, his voice was practically drowned out entirely by the cheering crowds, and Vahliri instead watched as he shed the jacket he was wearing.

Her honeyed eyes immediately flicked down to his muscular physique and the tattoos that were inked across his chest, immediately feeling her face grow hot as that familiar tinge of red spread across her cheeks. She allowed her eyes to linger for a few moments before traveling back up to the Devaronian’s face, letting out a cheer as he started to get into the new song.

Rather than standing quietly as she did through the first song, Vahliri began to move her own body to Altair’s singing – her arms lifting up into the air and hips beginning to sway as the Devaronian’s voice filled the bus. It was an entirely different side of Altair she hadn’t seen in the past, and she couldn’t deny the ways she found it alluring. And the song was far too catchy not to dance to.

After a few moments of dancing, the half-Sephi’s eyes flicked up back to Altair – just in time to catch the flirty exchange between him and Syn. She watched the way the Devaronian very deliberately tangled her hair into his horns, her mind immediately flicking back to their own little incident at the start of the party. In that moment, Vahliri could help the way her ears rapidly flicked and the faint bit of irritation that surged within her – those pangs of jealousy settling in her stomach. They cut abruptly and unexpectedly, almost catching the half-Sephi by surprise when they hit her.

As a result, the half-Sephi’s own dancing gradually came to a slow before halting entirely – keeping her eyes on Altair to watch the performance as he moved across the stage. Her brown eyes widened as the mic stand lowered down right in front of her – her head tilting up just as Altair leaned down to sing right in front of her. In that moment, those feelings of jealousy were briefly forgotten entirely, and that bit of red once more returned to the half-Sephi’s cheeks. She smiled up at him, an almost dazed expression lingering on her face until he popped back up and continued to dominate the stage.

As the song came to a close, Vahliri let out a loud cheer – clapping her hands and flashing the Devaronian a large, toothy smile. She leaned over the edge of the stage, opening her mouth to say something – only to just then catch sight of the twi’lek scaling the stage wall like a trashy rock climber.

Vahliri watched in complete shock as the girl swung her arms around Altair, leaning in to plant a kiss to his lips. At once, the half-Sephi felt those same pangs of jealousy and growing rage that boiled inside of her – manifesting in the ways her ears flicked rapidly and her jaw tightened. This time, she pointedly looked away from the stage – proceeding to glare holes at some random point in the bus.

Her eyes only flicked back when the twi’lek was hurled off the stage by Altair, and was further thrown like yesterdays old trash across the bus by Anai. There was an exceptionally pleased look on Vahliri’s face at that moment, finding the twi’lek’s outcome far more satisfying than it should’ve been. It didn’t linger, though, as her eyes then flicked back to Altair – catching sight of his mortified expression and the way he scrambled off the stage. Vahliri couldn’t help but frown at that moment.

“Daaammnnn,” Out of seemingly nowhere, a heavily inebriated Acolyte leaned against Vahliri’s shoulder, pointing towards Altair as the Devaronian began to wander off. She “Ain’t he hot as hell?” The girl snickered at her own clever wordplay, letting loose a suggestive whistle in Altair’s direction. The half-Sephi’s ears immediately flattened against her skull, only partially because of the woman basically screaming in Vahliri’s ears.

“Fuck off me..” She muttered under her breath, jerking her shoulder away from the random Acolyte who was leaned against her. Without so much as glancing back in her direction, Vahliri began to weave through the crowds – snagging a pair of red solo cups as she followed after Altair.

As she weaved through the crowds of Acolytes, Vahliri glanced to her left – spotting a Zeltron girl making a beeline for the Devaronian as well, carrying two full drinks as she moved in his direction. It didn’t take Vahliri long to decipher what the girl intended, given the beverages, the direction she was moving and the way she was practically sauntering over, and the half-Sephi promptly decided to smother the entire thing in its crib.

There was the subtlest twisting of the half-Sephi’s fingers, invisible tendrils of the Force spreading out and targeting the ankle of the approaching Zeltron. As the girl went to take another step, she found her foot rooted in place – causing her to fall forward and practically throw the cups in her hands. The girl bumped into the person in front of her – effectively starting a domino effect of Acolyte’s tripping and bumping into each other that ended with multiple of her peers kissing the sticky, mysteriously damp floor.

In a room full of Force Users, the subtle pulses of her usage would be impossible to pinpoint to a source. And, given the overall intoxication of the bus, her fall was easily attributed to drunken stumbling.

As the proverbial dust began to settle over the pile-up, Vahliri peaked her head over a few shoulders and glanced down at the Zeltron she had subtly taken out. Though it didn’t manifest on her face, she was exceptionally satisfied to see the girl attempting to cover a large tear that went up the length of her dress as a result of eating shit in tight clothing. Satisfied that the girl would be adequately fucking off for the rest of the evening, Vahliri continued on towards Altair.

The half-Sephi walked up right alongside the Devaronian, greeting him with a smile and gentle nudge against his bicep. “I’m starting to think you need to start installing guard-rails wherever you perform.” She said, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement. She vividly remembered that entire incident back on Indupar, where the Devaronian had effectively been swarmed in the middle of his dance number. Of course, Vahliri pointedly ignored her own involvement in enabling the situation to occur in the first place.

She extended out the full cup to Altair, offering a cheers of her own if he took it. “I didn’t know you could sing,” Vahliri said, taking a swig from her beverage. “You looked great up there.” There was a faint movement of the half-Sephi’s ears when she added in that last comment, allowing her honeyed eyes to linger on those vibrant amethyst for a few moments.

“You alright?” She said after a few seconds. Whatever she’d been feeling in the moment, the half-Sephi had clearly seen the mortified expression on Altair’s face when the twi’lek invaded his stage. As she asked her question, Vahliri glanced over her shoulder – catching sight of Anai approaching. While Vahliri initially hoped for a bit of one-on-one, she wasn’t expecting the Kaleesh to throw herself at Altair, and after the entire incident with the thrown twi’lek, Vahliri didn’t mind seeing the girl approach in the slightest – offering a smile as she joined them. “Hey Anai.”

Her eyes briefly flicked over to Senin, Sol and Syn – seeing if any of them would be joining them as well. Given the red-headed Acolyte’s high-pitched cheers and propensity for barging in at any given moment, the half-Sephi had no doubt that he’d be cutting through the crowds like a baby Rancor in no time flat. Internally rolling her eyes at the prospect, Vahliri turned her attention back to Altair – that smile returning to her face as she looked up at the Devaronian.

@Sreeya @LouJoVi @Mr. Teatime @Versok @Braden

 

[Soleil Altan]

Sol made it to the table without incident, nonchalantly walking right up onto it as casually as walking up stairs. Another little hop got him seated atop a shelf next to a speaker, head just below the ceiling. He faced the stage, a little off to the left, just like he'd wanted. Instantly the notebook was open in his lap, pencil in his right hand already scratching shapes on the blank white paper. Sol was perfectly not being within the cheering mass, although the whole thing left a grin on his face.

There was the blue-haired ceiling lady again, passing over a drink, while a pointy-eared woman looked like she was speaking to horned guy. Sol reminded himself to start asking for names more often. Meanwhile though, he flipped to the next page, pencil moving again. It paused in place as Altair removed his jacket and something was erased, replaced with something else on the page. When the man looked Sol's way, the high-perched acolyte was looking at him with a sense of concentration.

As the next song began Sol's eyebrows shot up so fast an onlooker might well worry they'd fly right off his face. His pencil moved again a moment later, held forward between thumb and forefinger for precise control of the lead tip. Head and shoulders he swayed in time to the music, eyes bouncing between the paper and the stage. Each time the page he worked on changed. Coincidentally, one of the times he looked up was when Altair was looking right back at him.

Sol blinked at the unexpected and flirty eye contact, gaze dropping a moment to look at the rest of Altair's attire and tattoos. A sly smile flashed the Devaronian's way, fist raised and pumped in the air like he was whooping. He wasn't doing it out loud, but the energy was there. It was a little embarrassing to be given any measure of attention from a talented performer he'd almost literally just met, but he didn't let it distract from what he was doing for long.

He was fully drawn into the performance, thoroughly enjoying Altair's second song, switching pages at different points during the whole scene. By the time it ended, his pencil was looking a bit dull, but he'd got what he'd wanted. Listening to music was a common pastime and far more familiar than "beer pong", which meant he was having tons more fun than just wandering around the crowds and sticky floor.

Then a Twi'lek stumbled up onto the stage. She approached Altair like a panther. A drunk panther who was walking on their back legs as a party trick. Her forcing himself onto the obviously non-reciprocal Devaronian was not the least bit funny and was met with a disgusted scowl. The cavalcade of punishment she suffered afterward, however, had Sol in a silent, shoulder-shaking fit of laughter.

Still, he couldn't help noticing the aghast look on the Devaronian's face, nor how the Sephi woman he'd sung to during part of his performance went after him. Sol hopped off his improvised seat and added a written note to the first page of the several he'd gone through. Then he started making his way toward the group of Vahliri, Anai, and Altair using a circuitous route around the edge of the crowd, at one point hopping from one table to another to avoid a closely-clustered group of people trying, and failing, to figure out a shotski. A Zeltron woman in a tight dress with drinks of her own suddenly tripped, sending herself and the Shotski Crew careening to the floor.

Sol grimaced and edged away from that whole mess and kept on going. He was in no rush, giving the people who he assumed knew one another a little extra time to themselves before he intruded. The quiet acolyte only expected to stop by for a short while anyway. Surely this group had dancing or something to get to, right? Still, he waved in their direction once he got close enough so they'd hopefully notice he was approaching.

@Altaris @Sreeya @Versok

 

[Ashla Ti]

A little buzzed, a little hungry, and more than a little off her A game, Ashla didn't entirely comprehend everything what Senin said to her, assuming for some reason that he wanted her to buy him VIP tickets to the carnival. She had after all managed to find this sweet ride for the party, so maybe she was a little bit of a fixer herself. But she was a broke fixer, and VIP tickets were a little out of her range. Still, she wasn't going to disappoint him like that. "Let me see what I can do," she replied, "one way or another I'll make sure you and Cairo get those tickets! Scout's honor!"

She had no idea what that phrase meant, having heard it on the holonet, but before she could say more Malou spotted the beer pong table and Ashla didn't resist as she was pulled towards it. She too had heard of the party game but never actually played it, so she was excited to see what the fuss was all about. Along the way she crossed Vahliri, waving at her in response to her greeting before vanishing from her line of sight as she and Malou made towards the beer pong table.

"So," she asked Malou once they were at the table, "do we use the Force to float into our mouths and the loser gets shot or something?" Showing her rather violent upbringing, and definitely lack of awareness of the concept of fun, she assumed just because Sith were playing something it had to be deadly.

That was when the music started, and she turned around to get a surprise that almost knocked her sober. It was Altair, and the music hit her unlike anything she had experienced in a while. Everyone heard music, but Togruta experienced it on a whole other level, hearing it with not just ears but their entire being. It resonated with her, both physically and emotionally, and she just watched, heard, and appreciated as he sang. She could sense the emotion behind the music, the melancholy, the longing, pulling at her heartstrings. She didn't know if that was what he was putting into the song, or just her finding what she was looking for in the music. Either way, she was almost in a trance as he played, listening with a small smile on his lips as he performed two songs before stepping away.

In the silence that followed, Ashla pulled out her datapad to make a note as a sea of emptions raced through her. She intended to ask Altair how he learned to play like that and and why he had never mentioned it to her. She started typing Altair hallikset into her datapad to add a note when a webpage showed up as a suggested link to add to the note. Curious about it, she clicked, and found herself on a NoiseNebula page. Altair's NoiseNebula page! Shocked, and a little offended that he had never mentioned it before, she scanned the room to search for him and spotted him across the dance floor with Vahliri and the Kaleesh.

Placing two fingers in her mouth, she let out a loud whistle, one that cut clearly through the dim in the aftermath of Altair ending his performance. "Altair Din! Why did you never mention this??" She shouted at Altair from across the room, ignoring that the rest of the room was staring at her as she did so. Touching a finger to her nose before pointing it at him, hoping that it meant what she was angry with him, she pressed a button on her datapad and music started playing on the party bus' speaker system.

Music​

"What an ass," she said to Malou as the music began, "imagine finding out about this from the holonet of all things!" Her anger, thought justified to her given the place music held for Togruta, might not make much sense to the others. But to her, this act of keeping his talents from her was a betrayal of sorts. Of course she would not feel the same once the alcohol wore off, but in that moment she felt more than a little hurt, and grabbed a drink out of the hands of a passing acolyte and chugged it in one go.

@lizziie @LouJoVi @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Syn Validottor]

You see, Bright Blue Furry Haired Lama Bean flavoured Rum makes everything better. I little song and dance and swig of this crazy drink and Spikey was happy again. One point to Synindor. Ooo an Encore, this one was much more upbeat something Syn could truly shake to, hanging upside down from the ceiling she swayed from side to side, her feet firmly planted to the ceiling. Hips popped, shoulders swung and a fair few people below got doused in a little Rum or Vodka from the flaying bottles.

Half way through the little routine and Spikey made his way over to her, her braid bouncing around as she danced was once again tangled in Spikey's horns. This time it was intentional and she was luckily not pulled from the ceiling, instead he slowly pulled her face close to his, she was a little stretched, but the voice, the words and that look made any strain in her overly extended neck disappear as he sung. Her arms went limp, luckily her alcoholic senses kicked in and allowed her to keep the alcohol from spilling, a middle finger in the neck of each bottle.

Syn's cheek became red and not from the gravity induced blood rush to her head. For a moment she was lost in Spikey's eyes as he sung to her...Then he was gone. That was over quick and he made his way across to a pointy haired women, he left with a wink, her mouth was left ajar catching flies, or whatever counted for flies on this planet. Anyway. Without another thought she was back to busting a groove on the ceiling, swinging from side to side to the music.

The music came to a stop as a Twi'Lek got up on stage and gave Altair a rather large smooch, ooo was that tongue. "Woop, Woop." She shouted with half the crowd as they caught glimpse of what was happening. But then it all stopped, seems Spikey didn't like kissing girls. As he pushed her back off the stage and made a break for it. "Bye Spikey." She shouted as he ran past her upside down form. Soon after the other girl he was singing too followed, doesn't she know Spikey doesn't like girls. Some people are so dense.

As the crowd began to dissipate from the performance, she needed to find some new friends. Spikey seemed to have cheered up a bit and she could only give out so much Bright Blue Furry Haired Lama Bean flavoured Rum to people in need. The whistle from the Togruta (@Wit ) not only caught the attention of most of the bus but gave Syn a new destination. Still sticking to the ceiling, it was far less sweaty up here. She made her way across to the group surrounding the pong table.

Making her way across she spotted the form of the Twi'Lek girl still lying on the floor, stopping for a second she poured a little Vodka into her inebriated mouth. "Don't worry, he may not like you. But he does." Syn said pointing to the 'helpful' Zabrak Acolyte who was trying to get her to her feet. Without waiting a moment for either of them to realise what she said on she went, "Matchmaker Syn, another point to Synindor." She said to herself.

Music now blaring out from the speakers, people back to the dancing and grinding she reached the pong table. The 'Master of the Beverage' was here, along with 'Mrs Whistle'. "So which one of you is pong?"

@Sreeya @Altaris @lizziie