Life Day

[Jamo Jakatta]

With his jacket torn open, the cold hit him like a bucket of ice water, every hair on his body standing on end - though the chilly hands running all over him were fast becoming warm. There was such a vicious hunger in every kiss, every desperate bid to crush body against body, that he was starting to think Grace had wanted him all along! When he felt an insistent pull at his belt, Jamo responded in kind and tugged Van-Derveld by her belt buckle, staggering both of them back into the shade of the trees.

[Daria Nytherciria]

“You must,” she answered, the seldom-seen smile still lighting her features.

It was something she scarcely had the time or energy to think about, ordinarily, but now that they were alone it occurred to Daria how much she would have grieved to know that Navaria no longer wanted – needed – her. It was a truth that had scared her from the beginning, from the moment that she had realised that there was something more than friendship between them. At first, she had shied away from it, believing it to be the source of the fear and doubt she felt inside of herself – yet the more time she spent with the Jedi Master, the more she felt reassured and at peace by Navaria's presence.

Perhaps there would come a time when they could spend more than a night like this, but until then it strengthened her - and her belief in their capacity to defeat the Empire - to know that she had such an ally by her side.

[Mara Tallen]

"I hope you aren't planning to use that as a precedent for mandatory 'weapon' inspections back at Dorn," he teased, shooting her a crafty wink. "I don't care how good it'll be for the men's morale."

Mara shifted in her seat, long legs crossing as she pulled them off of the chair they were propped up on. Her mug set down on table before her while a fingertip trailed along the rim, picking up some few drops of cider and and bits of spice.

Lofting a delicate brow, she licked the fingertip clean, eying John as she did so. Glossy lips parted in reply, voice emerging with far more heat than she should have used with her commanding officer. But since Ruuria...things had changed and she was unwilling yet to give up on the possibility.

His feelings might have not changed since their arrangement some few years ago, but hers had. Even back then, there'd been more to it than just the pleasure of sex, but she'd been unable to admit it. Now...she just couldn't help herself, in spite of knowing better.

"I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing...there's only of them that interests me anyway..." Mara purred decadently, gazing up at him through her lashes with glittering amber eyes. This time, there was no rational voice in the back of her mind telling her no. There was too much need inherent in her words for her to hear it.

[John Glayde]

John shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat, a flush of warm exploding inside him like a nova. He fought against the urge to let his body language give any more away than it already had; battled to calm himself, ease his embarassment, and allay the rush of blood to his face. He grabbed his beer, burried his face behind the rim, and shot a nervous glance in Amos' direction. As per usual however, the burley Sergeant bore an expression that implied he either didn't understand the subtext of the conversation, or just didn't care.

John set down his beer, and managed to summon up a dismissive, joking grin. "I hate to burst your bubble, Mara, but I don't think you're Xander Tur'enne's type."

[Mara Tallen]

As he shifted in his seat, her instinct picked up on the surge of warmth through his core and the beginning of arousal. But...there was something else there. Something she couldn't quite put a finger on.

Another minute and it hit her like a fist to the gut.

It was reluctance. Towards being with her.

"Xander? Oh please. That boy wouldn't last five minutes in my bedroom." she replied, a bit more forcefully than she'd wanted to.

But...his reluctance stung on a level she couldn't - no, didn't want to - contemplate. Rising from her seat, she looked down at him, fingers lifting of their own accord and trailing through his hair. They lingered on the back of his neck, tracing a path they had taken so many times before.

"For the record, I was talking about you." She whispered softly, all artifice set aside for the moment.

[Selinica Miriya]

Everyone seemed quite otherwise... occupied.

The barest of buzzes that the cider had given her was wearing off and without another person to amuse herself with, she was finding avoiding the bar quite difficult. It was difficult in most circumstances and right now, that bothered her. She didn't want anyone to see she had a problem.

And where was everyone else, anyway? She had seen Charles, seen Dash, glimpsed Onashi (whom she had entertained getting a few jabs in with, but whose attention was suddenly taken up by a girl with an interesting shade of hair) and was wondering, now, where John was. Far be it for her to seek out his company willingly, but her anger at him had evaporated at some point when she realized that she really had nothing to be angry with him for.

Oh, there you are. Oh, there's Tallen too. Grumble. And... well, that's a head of hair I haven't seen in a little while.

Having spotted Glayde, Tallen and Iakona, Selinica Miriya Cailis wandered over in their direction, boot-covered feet crunching through the snow, weaving through the assorted groups of people, nearly tripping on a dip in the train that somehow, no-one else had trampled over. She approached the trio as if nothing was going on, completely casual. Sel stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and stood over them.

"Hi, John.... Mara." She smiled warmly at John, civilly at the halfbreed before at last turning her attention to the last member of the party. "Oh, hey there, Amos."

She scuttled a little closer to the big man.

"Didn't expect to see you here, scruffy." She smirked, glancing over his face, then turning that gaze to John and Mara, eyes narrowing slightly. "Are these two boring you? I wouldn't be surprised."

[Corell Capstan]

It was a testament to the strength of what she was drinking that Corell hadn't noticed Grace Van-Derveld leaving the bar. She craned her neck to see where the woman had gone, but there was no sign of her. The bar was almost entirely deserted now, even the bartender having gone to join in the festivities. Shrugging, Capstan reached over the counter and picked up the last remaining quarter bottle of Corellian whiskey.

With a deepening frown, she looked at the various groups of party-goers. There were so few Jedi amongst them, and even those she knew – Navaria and Daria – had disappeared. Typical. She was on her own yet again, and whether because they were uncertain around Jedi – or because of the look on her face – no one was looking to make an acquaintance out of Corell Capstan.

“Well, frak 'em,” she muttered as she swayed to her feet, pressing the mouth of the whiskey bottle to her lips for a swig. It was time to go for a walk.

[John Glayde]

Yeah, I got that.

Though the embarassment thankfully stayed away this time, the discomfort at Mara's words hadn't abated in the slightest while he had fond - very fond - memories of their past encounters, that had been years ago and, well, now he was her Commanding Officer. If they were to - again -

His mind didn't make it much further than that half-complete thought, whisps of memory and imagination distracting him from allowing it to finish. He felt himself nervously biting his lower lip in anticipation; had to mentally hit himself around the face to clear his mind. This was awkward, especially with an audience.

An expanding audience, it seemed. Though an ecounter with his 'sister' was usually a pleasant experience, Miriya's uncanny timing today was anything but opportune. "Hey," he offered casually in response to her arrival; an awkward glance shot in Mara's direction. He forced a frown onto his face, gesturing towards Selinica's empty hand. "Looks like you need a new drink. Amos needs a refill, too. Maybe he can -"

"Actually," the towering wall of muscle and hair responded with a low, gravelly voice, the look in his eyes betraying the fact that all he wanted to do right now was leap up and scamper away into the forest, escaping from the woman who'd been unconscious within ten minutes of their first meeting. "I've still got about half -"

Glayde snatched the mug from Amos' fingers, quickly tossing the contents away into the undergrowth. He flashed Amos a brief grin, and then a broader one towards Sel. "Amos needs a refill, too," he repeated. "Maybe he can help you fight your way back to the bar?"

[Selinica Miriya]

She looked from Mara to John, at least twice.

This is going to be ugly and I want no part of it.

"Actually..." She had started, exactly at the same time as Amos, though no doubt disagreeing for different reasons. She was going to mention that the bar was now pretty empty, unmanned and very much devoid of alcohol, but that wouldn't help anyone, especially not her. She freed the mug from John's grasp and rolled her eyes.

The things I do for people.

Selinica moved closer to John and leaned in, her mouth hovering quite close to one of his ears, one hand on that shoulder for support.

"Don't do anything stupid." She whispered. Then coming up, grinning, she gave his shoulder a few hard pats of encouragement, flicked a glance at Mara as if to accentuate what exactly she meant and looked back to Amos.

"Come on, you big wookiee." Sel said, somewhat lasciviously, moving closer to the big man again, grabbing the fabric of his attire at the arm and making as if to drag him up and away. She gave him a rather pointed, insistent look when he wouldn't budge as quickly as she intended. "Let's leave the lovebirds alone."

[Charlotte Tur'enne]

“Huh.. any excuse to come see me.”

"Maybe." By that time Charles was completely convinced the rum was to blame. It would certainly explain the fact she couldn't keep the small smile from leaving her, even if she still felt a slight hinting of panic that was indecisive on if it should make an attack or retreat back into her subconscious.

You're a damn Corellian, Charles. We don't do things half way. If you're going to go for something, go for it. Damn the consequences and have fun! Since when did the rum start sounding like Captain Mardesh? Oh well, the inner dialog did have a point.

Despite the fact she tried to fight it somewhat as she softly pressed her lips back to Dashiel's, she knew it came off more timid than it should have. When it ended though she managed to gather something that resembled her usual personality. "Just... you know... increasing my odds. Though, might not want to push your luck, prying eyes and all..."

What she did next, well, yep, rum's fault again. Her lower lip was bit coyly as she let her eyes remain on his. "So... before we both change our minds... where to?"

[Kala'ndryl Ryj]

It was cold.

Colder, quite frankly, than she'd even anticipated when she avoided the Life Day gathering and struck out on her own amidst the forest of Yavin 4. Kala felt far too awkward amongst the Alliance members, and without another Jedi in sight, she wasn't certain where she'd be welcome.

Not everyone even -in- the Alliance liked the Jedi after all.

Regardless of it all, she'd squeaked with joy upon finding a lake a decent distance away from the revelry. There was no second thoughts as she stripped out of her parka and boots, and carefully folded every last stitch of her layered clothing neatly. Without hesitation, she reached out with her very fledgling force-sense to find the deep spot and dove in.

It was a great deal colder than anything she was used to, and in spite of her half-Nautolan genetics, she wasn't going to be able to withstand it for very long. But it would be enough, she grinned, swimming to heart's content, well below the surface of the water.

[Serasai Onashi]

“Galaxy’s a huge place,” Onashi said, taking a drink from the cup. “Always something new to learn about."

He paused for a moment, before deciding to continue. "I study on my own time. Bastards at Ops got a huge selection of books they let me look through. I don’t work for them anymore though.”

He smirked widely, fixing her with a look of enjoyment.

“Great jobs. Paid very well. Only most of them were solo missions, and I prefer teams at least. But give me battles; get me up close, and that’s where you’ll get yer money’s worth.”

He took another sip, and sighed, handing the cup back to her. “You’re right. It’d be better warm.”

[Dashiel Starborn]

Given how coy she'd been only moments ago, Tur'enne's question came out of the blue. The rum had given him the courage to go ahead and kiss her in first place, but a big part of him had expected her to just laugh that off and that would be the end of it, just a case of what happens on Yavin 4, stays on Yavin 4. Unexpected was definitely the word. One corner of his mouth turned up in a smile, his eyes leaving hers for only long enough to settle on her lips for a second or two.

“Hey.. don't sound so enthusiastic, will ya.”

[Navaria Tarkin]

Light fingers brushed aside copper hair that obscured the Jedi Master of Daria's smiling face. This gift had to be relished in all its splendor, almost as rare as the laughter heard from the Miraluka earlier. "I must?" she teased, chuckling mildly. "I"m glad to have your approval."

Under the gleam of the fires near the center of camp, her companion was beautiful - radiant under the soft orange and red hues that only highlighted fiery hair. Navaria's fingers still lay hidden within it, caressing themselves further so that the palm of her hand was comfortably against Daria's cheek.

Through their bond, the Jedi Master felt long sought after peace that was shared between them. It was not often, even in Navaria's company, that Daria could simply be. The Miraluka's mind was riddled with concerns about their blossoming relationship, but it was with much patience, as Daria mentioned herself, that the Knight found herself trusting what was developing.

As for Navaria, she had not planned on Daria nor anyone, for that matter, to be let inside. Even with Drin back in her life, there was on her love that could really understand her. She would be ever thankful to the Force for allowing their paths to converge, for she could no longer imagine her life without Daria.

[Sanis Prent]

"True, but she is with her family. I shan't disturb her on this holiday," she answered plainly, but then smiled. "I guess you will just have to wait."

I smiled at her, shaking my head. I figured I'd let her have that one at least. Besides, I could get Lok on a comm line any time I wanted to broach the subject.

A band behind us started to pick up tempo and play. I looked to the band, and back to Saricia with a bit of mischief on my face.

"You dance?"

[Kyran O'Hurn]

Ky had made a brief but entertaining stop at the kegs, refilling his mug with beer, but more over being entertained by the more then slightly inebriated group that were hovering around them.

Shaking his head he walked away chuckling slightly, knowing that those boys would be paying for it in the morning, and just hopped that none of them had the early shift. Or even worse were on call.

Moving through the crowd his attention was pulled to his left as he went to go around a corner to his right causing him not to notice the blond woman heading in the opposite direction. As the collided Ky was more concerned about keeping his beer in the glass then who he had collided with.

He was about to bark out some choice words about stupid FNGs not watching where they were going when the fact that the woman wasn't wearing a uniform struck him. To many officers, Jedi, and spooks kicking around to go spouting off.

Better to take the blame, since it was kinda his fault anyway.

"Sorry about that. Wasn't watching where I was going. Too many drunks doing stupid things to look at."

[Saricia Ask'lan]

"Yes," she said rather eagerly. "It was one of the few pleasures I had back home."

Though Saricia would not admit that most of that dancing was done alone and in private - being too shy to actually perform in front of others.

[Sanis Prent]

"Great!"

I led her along. Finally, a turn in the right direction. Was I a dancer? Well, I wasn't going to win any awards. I had rhythm, and a bit more of it when I had some liquor in me, so I was feeling the mood a bit.

The band kicked up into gear and I started rocking to the beat a little.

[Saricia Ask'lan]

The Lupine swayed and looked back and forth for watchful eyes upon her, oblivious to the well placed feet and hips of Sanis that moved to the rhythm of the band quite impressively. At least, for an inebriated human.

[Sanis Prent]

I smiled. Damn, she was good. Better than me! I had to, uh, step up my game a little bit.

We bobbed and moved to the music and created an infectious mood around us as other people started dancing too.

She twirled, coming up against me briefly and letting her hair spill back a bit before I sent her twirling back to arms-distance, smiling the whole way.