Ask Dromund Kaas The Perils of Socializing as an Angsty Teenager

[Luc Vale]

Dromund Kaas, Imperial Academy
2135 local time

He crept through the halls of the dorms, stopping in front of every reflective surface on the way, checking to see if his hair had fallen out of place in the few seconds he’d been walking. Luc had no idea how someone was supposed to dress for something like this, so he’d gone for the safe route–black jeans, band shirt, and a flannel shirt that was a size too big and intentionally covered with flecks of bleach that resulted in splotches of brown and orange along the red shirt. The band shirt was a group he’d been listening to for some time now, and his dad had gotten it for him once at a fanshop on Taris. It had a picture of a guy with a nail embedded in each eye, his face covered in blood and the words “VIRULENT PLAGUE” underneath in bold text, white on black. It was his first party, so he felt, understandably, out of his element. Hell, he didn't even know to dance. Everything he knew he had learned just now watching tutorials on the holonet.

The halls were relatively empty, and slowly grew more dilapidated as he delved deeper into the abandoned wing of the dorms. If not for the faint scent of cigarette smoke, he'd have missed the door, because the room was apparently soundproof. Smart.

He swung the door open sheepishly, his thoughts going back to his father, the scent of smoke summoning so many things he'd rather not think about right now. He’d come to have fun, and he damn well would.

As he stepped inside, he gravitated toward the wall, sticking to the side of the room near the drink table as he realized he actually had to socialize with people. How the fuck was he going to do that?

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

It hadn’t taken much convincing to get Vahliri out the door and to this particular party. It had been over a week since the half-Sephi had returned from Taris, and she had practically buried herself in her studies at the Academy since then - opting to keep herself busy with academic pursuits, rather than allowing herself to mope around over the events of that night.

By the time she heard about the party, the half-Sephi was feeling burnt out reading the same textbooks and decided to finally get out and socialize a bit with her peers.

As per usual, the half-Sephi dolled up for the occasion - her black hair styled loosely and cascading down to her shoulders, while the air around her was sweetly scented with the girl’s perfume. She wore a black skirt, alongside a long-sleeved, white crop top - while her outfit was additionally accessorized with a pair of dangly earrings and a few bracelets on each wrist.

The moment that Vahliri arrived at the party, the half-Sephi popped in her standard earbuds - helping to dampen the music and sound of people that would otherwise be a bit overwhelming with her sensitive hearing. The party ended up being just as packed out as advertised, the air already thick with the smell of cigarra’s and Herb. There was always an older Acolyte who was more than willing to supply such parties with ample booze, and it didn’t take Vahliri to find herself a drink as she weaved her way through the crowds - eventually coming across the active beer-pong table in the middle of the room.

For the moment, Vahliri simply watched the game being played - leaning her weight against the wall as several people their age cheered and hollered over the beer pong table. She nursed a red solo cup in her hands, occasionally bringing it up towards her lips to take a long drink.

@vamp

 

[Luc Vale]

Stepping over an overly-excited couple that had decided to go at it right there on the floor, surrounded by dropped cups and cigarette ash, Luc frowned and scanned the room. It would be easiest, he supposed, to just find someone who looked approachable and go right to them. He knew a lot of the students in the academy, since he had been studying there his entire life, but they were mind-numbingly boring people who were probably even more annoying high and drunk than they were sober. Giving his classmates a wide berth, he noticed her just as he was passing the drinks table.

Luc's gaze fell onto a half-sephi standing alone by herself against the wall, not interacting with anyone and drinking from whatever was in her cup like there was no tomorrow. He was presented with a choice just then, a fork in the road that would probably be one of the most monumental occasions in his life, one he'd look back on when he was old. Luc had, up until this point, never gotten drunk. He'd tried sips of alcohol from his parents, sure, but he'd never experienced the thrill of stumbling around and saying bold things to people. He could either grab a cup off the table and pour himself some Tatooinian liquor, then go up to her and introduce himself, or he could not do that, and just stand around like an idiot for a few hours before going home.

In two seconds, he was already on the way to her, cup in his hand, trying to weave through the rowdy crowd. A ping pong ball bounced off his head and then another, earning some raucous laughter from the already-inebriated beer pong table. Ignoring it all, he made a beeline for the half-sephi, stopping in front of her.

"Big fan of the sport?" he asked, jutting his chin toward the beer pong table she had been watching earnestly. Casually, he raised the cup to his lips and took a sip, his heart dropping through his chest as the taste hit his tongue. How the fuck do people drink this shit?

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri didn’t spot Luc immediately, instead keeping her honeyed gaze fixed onto the utter disaster that was the beer-pong table. She watched as one of the players - very clearly drunk off his ass - threw the ping pong ball forward, nearly stumbling forward in the process and completely missing the cups that had been filled and lined up.

A few more back-and-forth tossed, and Vahliri’s eyes followed as the ping pong ball was thrown well past the table - sailing through the air before making contact with Luc’s forehead. The half-Sephi couldn’t help the way her lips curled upwards ever-so-slightly towards a grin, bringing her drink rapidly up towards her lips to take another drink and mask her amusement at the sight.

She watched as Luc stepped towards her, offering the dude a sideways smile. The half-Sephi glanced back towards the table, giving a small shrug. “Yeah, it’s always fun to watch. Though you may want to work on your dodging skills if you’re going to stand there.” Vahliri glanced back to him, grinning widely.


@vamp