A Night to Remember

[Veloster Turbo]

Planet: Naboo
Location: Mid Rim
Coordinates: O-17
Theme Song​

It had been two days since Khelsea had run into Kai and their new friend Aluae on the streets of Theed. They had a mini-adventure together, and at the end of it all Kai had asked her to be his companion at a social function held at the royal palace. Khelsea had heard about the event, but wasn't sure if she was going to attend until Kai asked her to. His mom was apparently the reason why he had to attend the event, but Kai seemed to be somewhat happy about attending the social event as well. She had pushed the idea of inviting Aluae instead of her to Kai, but he maintained his intention for her to go with him, and Khelsea agreed. Either way, the after party at a high class nightclub sounded extremely fun and Khelsea was already contemplating attending the event so it all worked out.

Kai had insisted that they met up before the event so they could go together, and Khelsea was waiting inside the Sera residence. She had been admitted inside, where she was welcomed and led to a room where she waited for her friend. The servants had clearly been alerted of her arrival beforehand, since they were quick to lead her inside and gave her plenty of attention. Khelsea was dressed in a fancy light pink colored satin dress that hugged her body like a tight fitting glove. There was a golden pattern with diamond shaped patches around the top part of her strapless dress, and her neck, her shoulders, and the top of her chest were exposed. Khelsea's hair was styled to look wavy, and it was brushed in a way so most of it rested on one of her shoulders, and the rest of her hair hung a couple inches past her shoulder. She had heels on, and her dress covered her legs and left only her ankles and feet visible. A small heart shaped key charm was hung around her neck by a thin diamond necklace, and its polished surface reflected light whenever Khelsea moved. A bracelet adorned her left wrist, while on her left wrist Khelsea wore a white gold diamond bangle. She had many fancy pieces of jewelery to pick from, and even though half of her collection was at home on Keren, Khelsea didn't have to search for long to find something to match her outfit.

Aside from the time she had dressed up for a mission on Lamaredd, Khelsea was pretty sure Kai hadn't seen her dressed up before. She had a short tight fitting one piece skirt for the clubbing event after the main event, but her current outfit was arguably much fancier than the one she had worn on Lamaredd during their mission. She sat on a large plush chair, looking at the paintings in the room and slowly sipping a cup of water. Judging from the amount of alcohol she had consumed in previous events like the one she was about to attend, Khelsea knew that the key was to stay hydrated and not drink on an empty stomach. Not only was passing out drunk totally embarrassing, but a passed out person also misses out on almost all the fun, and gets talked about for a long time.

 

[Ral]

While he had been staying on Naboo taking his restful break after being knighted, Kai Sera had received a message from his mother telling him that she would still be off world for the rest of his time there, but she had planned to attend the Royal Gala that occured at the Palace every year. Since she couldn't go it was his responsibility to go in her stead as a representative of the family. For some reason his mother thought it was a good idea for him to get out and mix with Naboo's social elite. There was the option to bring a plus one, and Kai had panicked when he realized he didn't know anyone who would be able to fit in with all the fancy bigwigs at the Gala. When he encountered Khelsea in the streets while out having an adventure with a new Padawan he had encountered, Kai had an idea. Khelsea was like him, from a well-to-do family, she knew all the etiquette and procedures and how to dress and talk. So, he had asked her, and she had graciously accepted, if somewhat hesitant at first. She thought he should ask Aluae first due to her natural attractiveness, and as much as Kai liked that idea, he knew the girl to be a little airheaded and he needed someone who wasn't for this night.

So, there he was in his own small manse in Theed getting ready for the Gala. The Jedi had gone through perhaps a dozen different looks trying to figure out what worked and what didn't. Nothing seemed to stick out at him until he fell back to the classic Naboo style of black dinner jacket and a nice white shirt with pants to match; he couldn't get into the other more fashionable trends and styles that were popular at this time. Once he had finally gotten around to picking his clothes Kai decided to wash up, making sure to wash and groom everything; including even scrubbing behind his ears and using conditioner and shampoo. Once he was done with the bathroom Kai went about putting his clothes on, making sure to be certain everything was tidy and sharp-looking. Feeling like a new person the Jedi Knight stepped out of his room with his hair now short; having been drastically reduced in length after being knighted. During the knighting ceremony he had with Lutomi, his master clipped off his Padawan braid with her lightsaber, but it left and ugly spot in his long black hair, so the erstwhile knight cut it all off. If Kai were to be honest, he'd say he preferred this looked better. It felt more him.

Walking down the stairs of his palatial estate and towards the room where Khelsea was being kept while he got ready, he walked into the room and looked upon the young woman before him. Kai had seen her once dressed up for a mission, but they had both agreed that it didn't count as going out since it was on official Jedi business. Now, she looked even more beautiful than she did on Lamaredd. The knight wasn't sure if it was because she had gotten more attractive, what she was wearing, if it had been their time apart, or if it was just him. But whatever there reason, he found her to be absolutely stunning; so much so that his jaw dropped when gazed upon her attractive pink strapless dress and her done-up hair. Where had this girl been all of his life? Shaking his head, he quickly composed himself even though he was sure the blush had yet to fade from his cheeks. Opening his mouth again, he spoke. "Uh, hey Khels... uh, wow! You look absolutely amazing, I mean, gorgeous! That's not to say you don't always look pretty! Just, right now... wow!"

Kai's cheeks reddened again as he fumbled over his words. Deciding to keep his mouth shut he pulled her close for a hug as he kissed the air by each of their cheeks just like how they had been taught during their class together. Taking a step back he did another up-and-down look over of Khelsea, her dress, and her jewelry. "Well, shall we get going?" He said as he offered his arm to his close friend. Leading her outside, Kai helped Khelsea to get inside the luxurious Flash Speeder his family owned before getting inside and driving it away from the estate. "You excited? How long did it take you to do all that anyway?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Kai walked into the room where Khelsea was waiting, and she examined him as he stopped and stared at her. He looked nice with his short hair, and his outfit was modern and sleek. Perhaps it wasn't the most flashy or newest trend, but Kai looked like he had grown up a bit in the two months that Khelsea was gone, and he looked sharp. Khelsea smiled and greeted her friend as he walked in. It wasn't like Kai to have trouble with his words, but he was definitely stuttering a bit. This left Khelsea wondering... was it because they had been apart for so long that they weren't as close anymore? That could certainly be likely, he was running around Theed with an attractive girl. But then again, she had suggested bringing Aluae to the event instead of herself, but Kai had insisted on Khelsea. Judging by the color on Kai's cheeks, it was almost as if he was embarrassed, attracted to her, or both. Then again, he hugged everyone he saw so that might not be the case. "Well whatever, sometimes boys are hard to understand..."

Allowing herself to be pulled into an embrace by Kai, Khelsea hugged him back and caught a whiff of his scent. "You smell nice". She was originally going to make a snarky remark about Kai making a girl wait for him, but his stuttering had thrown Khelsea off and she decided to keep her comment to herself. She hooked her arm into Kai's and soon after they departed from the Sera residence on a luxurious speeder. Khelsea was familiar with the Flash Speeder, and if her parents hadn't purchased several luxury import speeders from other planets it was likely they'd own a Flash Speeder as well. Khelsea looked at Kai from the passenger side of the speeder, examining him as she answered his question. "Yeah! I haven't been out for events for a while. Well I wasn't even been part of civilization half the time, we were just flying around in space." She stopped talking as they entered a busy intersection to take in the familiar surroundings to see if anything changed. "Oh right, my hair and makeup? About an hour and a half? I just go to the makeup artists, they're way faster than if I did it myself. And I used to go quite often so they know what I like."

As they continued through one of the main streets, Khelsea thought it would be a good time to ask about Kai's last few months. She hadn't had much time to catch up with her friend last time they ran into each other, since she had somewhere to go after they helped out the police force. "So, what have you been up to the last few months? Oh, and congratulations on your promotion!" Khelsea was happy for Kai. He was definitely worthy of the title of Jedi Knight, and she was sure he would perform wonderfully in whatever new duties he received. She looked at him once again, waiting for his response.

 

[Ral]

Smiling, Kai blushed a little at Khelsea's compliment about his smell. "Thanks... uh, you too..." He managed to stutter out before she took his arm. Inside the speeder Kai listened to his friend talk to him about how long it had been since she had gone to a special event she had to dress up for since she had been floating around space for a while. When she got around to mentioning how long it had taken her to get ready Kai laughed a bit at that and smiled giving Khelsea an enthusiastic nod. "Ah, I bet. Well, you definitely got what you paid for I'd say! So, while you were out in space with... whoever it was you had found. Did you ever do anything... I dunno... interesting? Anything you feel like sharing anyway?"

Driving through the streets he chuckled a little when she asked him about his last few months and congratulated him on making it to knight. The last few months since she had departed had been rather wild and turbulent for the newly promoted knight. "Ah, yes... well, did you hear how Jade has taken Dartel to some planet to find herself? It was pretty crazy, we confronted her about some of the... troubles she was having and she decided she needed to go into a bit of self-imposed exile, I guess. Oh, I guess you'll want to hear how I got promoted? Well, I was on Lamaredd when we got word of a rogue knight who had come to try and capture Jedi for the bounty on them. Lutomi and I managed to fend the knight and his mercenary allies off; afterwards she cut my braid and promoted me! My hair looked all funky with this missing spot of hair so I took it as a hint and cut it all off... I've also found a couple of new Padawans and brought them into the Order, also as far as I can tell Solara and Asheek have been adjusting to the Order quite well as well. I plan on starting a class when I get back to Lamaredd for some of the Padawans I've met over the past few months. Oh, what do you think about Aluae? She seems cool don't you think?"

By this point, their Flash Speeder had reached the royal palace of Theed. The large round buildings were prominent from almost any part of the city, and despite having lived so close to it for many years being so close to the palace was definitely something awe-inspiring for Kai as he looked up and down the illuminated building. Letting the valet park the speeder, Kai took the ticket and took Khelsea's arm. "Well, Khels, you ready?" He asked her as he started walking up the stone steps of the capitol and through the grand entrance of the palace.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Oh. Felix? We just sold equipment and parts for the most part. I thought it was an interesting two months for me. Lots of firsthand experience, in both business management and ship repair, and we also made a fair amount of money which was nice." Khelsea thought back to her trip, and how they had slowly developed. Felix was part of the Jedi Order now, and Khelsea had taken the time to bring him personally to Lamaredd where he would be in good hands. She wasn't sure when she would see him again but she was glad that he was willing to teach her so much about ships and hoped they would meet again eventually. The most interesting thing was that Khelsea was now in possession of her own ship, and it wasn't just any normal ship that was on the market. It was a creation she and Felix had put together, and Khelsea was quite proud of it. Bacrana Shipyards seemed to think that it was great too, and she was eager to tell Kai since he knew about her passion for ships. However, it would be cool to bring him to the hangar and surprise him later, so she refrained from talking about the subject.

The topic of conversation slowly shifted to Kai's knighthood, which Khelsea was curious to hear about. She wasn't surprised to hear that the younger boy had been promoted, since he was more than capable of doing almost all the tasks assigned to him. He also thought on his feet well, and was able to adapt to different situations without missing a beat. Khelsea was genuinely happy for Kai. He was a great addition to the Jedi Knights, and she hoped to join him there one day. "Who did you bring into the Order? I found a few too. I think you might have met them already though. Have you met Calcus, Aramis, or Felix?" Kai mentioned Aluae, and out of curiosity Khelsea had to ask about her. "Aluae? She's pretty! You guys look good together! When did you meet her?"

Since they had reached the royal palace, the pair of young Jedi exited Kai's speeder and walked up the beautifully carved steps of the palace. It wasn't her first time at the palace, but it still managed to awe Khelsea every time. She took in the brightly lit building and felt the joyful atmosphere around her. At the top of the steps, Khelsea ran into one of her parent's friends, and after greeting them gracefully and politely she made her way inside with Kai.

 

[Ral]

"Ahh, that's cool. That it, though? You didn't do anything else that was really notable?" The young knight asked, glancing at the gorgeous girl sitting next to him. His heart fluttered a little when he glanced at her, looking away a little more bashfully than he intended, his cheeks perhaps a slightly pinker shade of olive. When she asked who he had ended up bringing into the Order the dark-haired man perked up immediately, a small smile spread across his face, his eyes brightened a little as well. "Oh, well let's see, I met a Chiss named Zian, or half-Chiss anyways, and a young woman about your age named Iris. They both seem to have a lot of potential, I hope they do well in the Order. And to answer your question I don't believe I've met any of them, not yet at least."

Kai let Khelsea say her hellos before he took her arm and walked further on inside. It was a magnificent sight to behold as the two walked about amongst the crowd of high-society gentlemen and ladies. Leaning in, he would smile at Khelsea and whisper, "Don't you think this is just wonderful?" He laughed lightly under his breath while listening to the classical music as it played out from the band nearby. Looking at the band his eyes quickly traversed across the room and he spotted the dance floor. Just then he had an idea that he just had to tell his date about. "Hey, Khels, would you perhaps be interested in having a dance with me? C'mon, don't be shy!" He teased, tugging on her arm to see if she would join him. If she did, he'd pull her out onto the floor, his heart thumping in his chest. It had been a while since he had even tried to dance, he hoped that Khelsea wouldn't mind. Maybe she might actually even enjoy it!

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"That's cool? Isn't that what people say when they don't really care..." Khelsea looked at Kai, who was looking away from her. The pair continued to talk the atmosphere between them felt a little more relaxed, at least to Khelsea. "Or maybe I'm just being too sensitive. We haven't really seen each other in a long time..." As for all the new Jedi, Khelsea had heard bits here and there but she hadn't met any of the padawans Kai had mentioned. A lot must have changed, since nothing was certain with the Jedi being in hiding, and two months had passed. All she knew was that the Lamaredd Outpost was still considered home, and any familiarity would be more than welcome.

The mood was a celebratory one, and spirits were high. Kai had led her to a large room where music was playing and people were dancing, and Khelsea could see that the guests were dancing spiritedly. Despite the formal dress and the well publicized after party, there were still a large group dancing as wild as they could with formal clothing on. Khelsea found herself watching them humorously, and trying to see if there was anyone she knew in this room.

As she was looking towards another entrance towards the room, she felt Kai tug her arm, and turned towards him. She hadn't really expected to be on the dance floor, especially since they had just arrived. But if Kai wanted to, it was fine with her. "Shy? Me?" Khelsea grinned mischievously. "I'll do the next song that you like with you, and then evaluate your performance. Fair?"

 

[Ral]

"Good, I think that sounds more than fair; I'd hate to think you got all introverted and boring during those two months..." Kai teased in response as he led her to the dance floor. They reached it just as the band started playing a new song, a slightly slower waltz, perfect for them to start dancing to; especially since Kai would need the practice. Stepping out onto the floor, Kai placed his right hand on the small of Khelsea's back just above her hips, and took her right hand in his left holding it out to the side between chest and shoulder height. Kai let Khelsea place her left hand where she wished, although the correct position for closed position dancing would have been on his shoulder. "I guess we've got good timing, next song is just starting!"

The young man winked at the gorgeous woman standing across from him. The song started, and Kai started leading with a bright smile on his, or as best as he could lead. Keeping Khelsea close to him, he tried to let the tempo of the song and the steps flow as one, and he succeeded at it, mostly. He had a few mishaps here and there, but nothing too embarrassing. If anything he found himself to be enjoying the dance he was sharing with his friend. As they moved the light reflected off of her jewelry; her necklace and bracelet, and Kai's attention was momentarily drawn to her neckline. Realizing he was staring after only a second or two, Kai blushed slightly as he looked back up into Khelsea's hazel eyes, a bashful grin on his face. Left forward, back right, his feet flowed with the beat as he realized to trust his instincts; maybe even the Force could keep him from blundering and embarrassing himself with Khelsea standing there in front of him. Looking into her eyes, Kai wondered what she was thinking, if she was enjoying herself, and if she was happy she had come with him.

Finally, the song ended, and Kai took Khelsea's arm in his once again and the two of them walked off the dance floor into the crowd. "I'm not going to lie, that made me a little thirsty, you want something? Let's go find something to drink!" He stated between panted puffs of breath as he made his way over to one of the bars. Stepping up to the counter, Kai would let Khelsea order anything she wanted first, then of course he would order. As he waited he'd look at the girl in the pink dress. His voice was a little excited, and uncertain, but curious at the same time; like that of someone who is eager to hear something, but also not sure if they want to know the answer. "Well... what did you think?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Maybe I did, and you just don't know yet. I guess you'll find out!" Just as they were finished talking, Kai took her out on the dance floor. He seemed to know what he was doing more or less, which was expected from someone of his social class. If he was nervous, he didn't show it. His dancing wasn't perfect, but Khelsea's wasn't either. After all, it had been more than half a year since she had joined the Jedi, and nobody expected her to know how to dance at the outpost on Lamaredd. Her friend was staring at her, and Khelsea looked back into his eyes as they moved with the music. At least Kai seemed to be enjoying himself, and he either didn't care or didn't notice that she wasn't dancing perfectly. Most people on the dance floor were focused on their partners, so as long as Kai and Khelsea weren't doing anything too wacky they would fit in just fine. After the song went on for a minute or two, Khelsea found everything returning to her, and years of experience and practice soon replaced her rusty dancing. Her movements became more natural and fluid, and from her observation Kai was becoming more confident as well. It was actually kind of fun.

Khelsea laughed at Kai's comment as they left the dance floor. "Thirsty from that? After all our training? But sure. Let's go see what they have at the bar!" Kai seemed content to let her lead the way, so she did; all the way to the bar. The bartender was courteous and friendly, and Khelsea settled on a fruity cocktail. She leaned on the counter and sipped through a straw as she waited for Kai to get his drink.

Kai seemed to be a little nervous, which wasn't something Khelsea was used to seeing from the confident and well spoken teenager. "You didn't step on my feet. Good job!" Khelsea replied sarcastically, since she knew Kai wouldn't take her comment literally. Besides, he was acting a bit weird so Khelsea just wanted things to be back to normal. She noticed that he was looking at her a bit differently during the dance, but brushed it off either because she didn't want to consider the possibilities or didn't want to deal with it. For the next little while, they were loitering at the bar, talking like any teenagers or adults would do at a social event. It was almost like how they used to be when they hung out on Lamaredd, except they were in a much more luxurious setting and were surrounded by bigwigs and people of some significance to Naboo.

 

[Ral]

It took a little bit of decided, but finally Kai settled on something with a bit of a sour kick to it for his drink. When Khelsea made her dry remark about him not stepping on her feet he blushed a little and shook his head. "Well, I'm glad I didn't hurt your poor feet!" He remarked sticking his tongue out at her for a moment before sipping his drink again, letting the sour taste of the alcohol wash over his mouth before swallowing. Kai found it rather relaxing to sit at the bar and just talk with the girl about whatever, whether it was life, the Jedi, or the party. They even discussed how their drinks tasted and how much they enjoyed them. After a little while, Kai stood up off of the stool and looked around the room for a few moments. "What do you say we go have a look around? See what there is to see? I'm sure we can come back here later if you want to dance some more." He stated with a wink before motioning to the bartender to get him a refill.

Offering his hand out to Khelsea, Kai began to walk through the crowd to see who all was there. Naturally, there were a lot of big names, members of the upper echelons of Naboo high society, and Khelsea and Kai were there among them! Many of them Kai had seen on the holonet or the news. There was a small portion of this group that Kai had met before with his mother for some fancy dinner or some other event or gala. Some of them Kai wasn't sure who they were, but they definitely appeared to belong there. Then there was a large group of people that looked to be like Kai, not quite the top tiers of society, but wealthy enough to be at this ball with all the other bigwigs. As they walked through the many rooms of people, talking and saying their hellos, they finally got a chance to get away from everyone so it was just the two of them once again. "How are you enjoying the dance so far?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Kai was fun to banter back and forth with. He was quick-witted, and wasn't easily offended. Khelsea was willing to say that she genuinely enjoyed her time with Kai, and was glad to have met her friend sooner rather than later. There were still many Jedi she hadn't interacted with, but at least she wasn't missing out on Kai's antics. Their conversation topics varied, but they were knowledgeable individuals and their dialogue flowed smoothly. After a while, Kai had suggested that they look around, so Khelsea finished her drink and got up.

Taking Kai's hand, Khelsea noticed walked with her younger friend and entered the throng of people. Just like Kai, she recognized many influential politicians and business people, as well as several top athletes who she had idolized in her childhood. Eventually, Kai led her out to a small balcony, where he asked whether or not she was enjoying herself. "Yes, of course! Thank you for inviting me. I wasn't going to come at first... Are you enjoying it so far?" Khelsea had known about the event, but without Kai's urging she would have skipped out this time for various reasons. She thought about the people she had interacted with, as well as those she hadn't seen yet. "There's so many awesome people here. We should go mingle later!"

 

[Ral]

"Good! I'm glad, I'd hate for you to have come here on my account and been bored!" He laughed nervously as he looked out over the cliff face and the waterfalls before looking back at the gorgeous young woman who was standing there with him. "I'm enjoying myself well enough, I think... I'm... I'm glad you decided to come here with me tonight. It's been nice being able to catch up with you, and dance, and spend time with a good friend here of all places." Deep down, it made Kai feel a little proud to know that Khelsea had chosen to come here with him even though she hadn't planned on it initially, and what more she was enjoying everything because of it. He just hoped she was enjoying his company as much as he was enjoying hers.

Smiling when she mentioned mingling, he nodded. "Aye, that we should. I wonder if we'll even meet the Queen? Wouldn't that be amazing? Here's to hoping anyways!" Kai laughed a little as he leaned on the balcony taking a step closer to the girl who was his friend. Boldly, he reached out and placed a hand on her back, casually rubbing it for a moment. "Well, what do you want to do now?" He started to ask when the music changed dramatically and Kai turned around to see people moving about to clear an opening. Through the heads and bodies he could see a young woman, perhaps a teenager in an elegant and complicated dress. It only took him a few seconds to realize who this was. "Hey, Khels, look its the queen! Let's go get a better look!" He stated excitedly as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the crowd.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Mmm." Khelsea mumbled a response to Kai absentmindedly, taking in the surroundings. Something had led her to think of her last two months, and her time spent traveling. While that was a great learning experience and Felix wasn't a bad companion, it was nowhere near the standard of living she was used to, and this party brought back memories of being a privileged child in a rich family. It felt like past times, but in reality it was still the same. Khelsea was always welcomed back by her family, and if she wanted to things could go back to the way it used to be. However, being a Jedi wasn't something she would willingly give up. She was slowly finding purpose, and there was still so much to learn. Deep in thought, she was startled at first when Kai put his hand on her back. Surprised, she moved forward just a bit but stayed still as he rubbed her back briefly.

Moments later, another surprise came. "The queen?" This was surprising. Even though the event was held at the palace, the queen hadn't announced publicly that she would be attending the event. And to be so close to the crowd too! Without hesitation, Khelsea followed Kai and moved through the crowd as quickly as she could. The crowd was thick with people trying to catch a glimpse of royalty, and it was almost impossible to move. They had gotten close, but being a shorter girl, Khelsea was unable to see the queen even if she tiptoed. Seeing a small hole forming as guests moved towards the queen, Khelsea let go of Kai's hand and squeezed through right before the gap was filled, gaining at least two meters of distance between herself and the queen. She could see the elegant young woman move up towards the stairs, her extravagant dress flowing behind her. Her makeup was sharp, giving her the distinct look of the traditional queens of Naboo. Khelsea continued to move with the crowd, since fighting against the crowd's momentum would be impossible. She seemed to have lost Kai for the moment, but she would find him after everyone dispersed.

 

[Ral]

As Kai pulled Khelsea into and through the crowd surrounding the arrival of the queen, he wondered what had changed to make the monarch of Naboo decide to show up at the gala. Although it was hosted at the Palace, Kai hadn't expected to see queen, it wasn't normally a thing she attended, so he was more than surprised to see the young female enter the ballroom. As they neared the wall of bodies preventing a good view of the young queen, Kai felt Khelsea let go of his hand and dodge into the crowd. The young man raised an eyebrow curiously as he lost track of his date amidst the mass of bodies. She must have found an opening she could slip through or seen someone she wanted to talk to, probably the first one, I doubt she would pass up the chance to see the queen up close. Kai thought to himself as he tried looking for an opening of his own. Fortunately, there was one thing the young knight had that the short female he called his friend didn't have: height. Kai was several inches taller than Khelsea without shoes.

With this in mind, Kai managed to find a small opening a little way down the line of bodies that he could fit through and get a clear line of sight. The young queen was beautiful, very beautiful. Her elegant makeup was sharp and perfect just as a queen of Naboo's should be. Kai found himself to be rather mesmerized by the monarch's striking appearance. The crowd began to move to follow the queen for a little bit, and like Khelsea he wisely chose not to fight the overpowering moment of the crowd. Looking around the dark-haired man wondered where his friend was. As soon as he got the chance he broke free of the group and looked for his date.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

As she moved around, Khelsea heard someone calling "Kels" a few times, but dismissed it as a trick of her ears. Besides, everyone was looking at the queen and there were many voices talking, including a variety of powerfully loud voices. In the next minute, Khelsea felt a hand grip her wrist and she turned to find a friend who she had attended school with for many years. What a surprise. There were many acquaintances and friends tonight, but she certainly hadn't expected to run into anyone while she was being led by the flow of the crowd and trying to catch another glimpse of the queen. "Fancy seeing you here!"

After the queen had disappeared from view and people could move freely without being obstructed by warm bodies, Khelsea was led to a group of well dressed young people. It was a reunion of sorts, these were all people she grew up with and despite some being a year or two older or a year or two younger, they seemed to be pleased to see her. The next hour passed by like a blur, as they went for drinks, danced, and caught up with each other. Despite the alcohol, Khelsea was pleased that she hadn't let anything slip about her occupation as a Jedi. Only as the night wore on did she remember that she hadn't seen Kai for quite some time. "Well, if he was looking for me he would've found me by now. Maybe he found some friends too."

 

[Ral]

It seemed that Kai had lost his date somewhere along the line. Khelsea and him had gotten separated when the Queen had made her brief appearance. Now, the young knight was trying to see where his youthful attractive female friend had wandered off to, but it seemed that she had eluded him, fading into the mass of well-dressed aristocrats. Frowning, Kai wondered what to do now. Well, I came here to mingle so my mother wouldn't have to. Might as well start rubbing elbows and cozying up to the big wigs here. Hopefully I'll see Khels and think up a decent excuse to get out of here early. Kai thought to himself rather negatively, he did not enjoy the idea of mingling with the high-class people here whose noses were so far up their backside they couldn't smell Bantha poo if they had it for breakfast.

Having spent the next half hour socializing as best as he could, Kai ended up learning a few things, and even enjoyed himself on a few occasions. After about thirty minutes passed, Kai noticed Khelsea mingling with people closer to their age, seemingly enjoying herself. Kai almost excused himself so he could go join her, but realized those were her friends and that it would be best to just let her have a good time with them. So, Kai continued rubbing elbows with people who typically annoyed him, keeping up a decent facade. Finally, he had enough and did his absolute bestest to excuse himself and get away from the group if aristocrats. As he made his way away and back towards the bar he saw his date not too far away, calling out as loudly as he could while still being polite he said, "Khelsea! Over here!" He waved to her and made a b-line to where she was. "Hey, looks like we got separated from each other, how have you been? Enjoying yourself?" As a new song started he looked to her and smiled, "How bout one last dance?"

@Veloster Turbo

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Yeah! It's been a while since I've been with some of my friends. I've just been catching up mostly." Khelsea realized that she had been separated from Kai for a lengthy period of time. "How about you, did you do anything fun in the last little while?"

The music started, and Khelsea accepted Kai's invitation to dance. The beat was a little more lively than the last one, but they seemed to dance more in sync than their first time. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe because they had a bit more practice as the night wore on, but they were definitely better. The song ended, and Khelsea's arms dropped to her sides. She smiled at her date. "That was fun. Did you want to head over to the after-party soon?" If not, perhaps they could go for a late-night cruise on Kai's speeder. Khelsea wouldn't mind one bit, and she'd be just as happy zipping through the surrounding area as she would be in a club with loud music and giant crowds. Either way, she was prepared to have fun tonight.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

"Ah, I'm glad then. I don't get to see my old friends all that often, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to." Kai smiled at her for a moment before responding to her question with a bit of a face that read "oh boy..." for a few seconds. "Well, I came for my mum, so I had to go 'mixing' and rubbing elbows as it were. And that's what I was doing for the most part. It was all terribly droll, I must say. It feels good to be away from all those fancy-pants people." Kai chuckled.

Walking onto the dance floor, Kai found that they were dancing a little better to the beat. He wasn't sure why, he just knew that they were, so he held his partner a little closer, a little tighter to himself as they danced. Smiling at Khelsea as they danced, Kai ended up enjoying his time standing so close to an attractive female. When the song finally finished and their arms returned to their sides, Kai wrapped his arm around Khel's as they walked off the dance floor. Listening to her as she asked if they wanted to head out, Kai frowned for a few moments as he pondered the question. "Sure," he said finally. "Unless you wanna do something else soon. Do you?" He asked the question as they did their best to quietly make their exit. Outside, Kai signaled for his speeder to come by. Once it had, Kai tipped the valet, helped Khelsea get in, then got in himself. "So what do you feel like?"

@Veloster Turbo

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea grinned at Kai's melodramatic description of his suffering. "Oh, so I'm not fancy enough. That's why you want to hang out with me?" As they exited the dance floor and the building altogether, the young Jedi was satisfied with how the night had gone. She had spent time with her date Kai, but she had gotten the chance to catch up with friends that she hadn't seen for a long time.

Being the gentlemen he was, Kai let Khelsea choose where their next destination would be. "Khelsea feels like going to the club. Maybe. She was wondering if her friend Kai would like to join her. If Kai isn't interested, Khelsea will be disappointed. But if Kai feels like breaking speed limits with his speeder, Khelsea will come ride along."

 

[Ral]

Grinning in return Kai remarked, "Khelsea, my dear, if you were that fancy we wouldn't be friends. I don't like talking to someone's rear end because that's where their head is." He winked at her as the walked out. Like his date, Kai was more than happy with how the night had gone so far; he had gotten to enjoy Khelsea's gorgeous company and even have a couple of dances with her. Beyond suffering to breathe the same air as people who had their head's stuck so far up their backsides the bumps in their throat were their noses, Kai was actually glad he had come to the royal gala.

As they got settled and Kai started off, the young Jedi start piloting his way out of the palace grounds. Chuckling, he looked at Khelsea as she told him what to do, in the third person no less! It was good to hear her enjoying herself. Nodding, he smiled deviously. "Kai feels like making Khelsea happy, and Kai most definitely wants to join her... Why not both? I'll break the speed limit on the way to the club! But first let's head to my place to change unless you wanna go to the club like this." He chuckled as he punched the throttle on his speeder up, driving through the streets of Naboo. The wind catching their hair and tossing it about. A hand reached out, wrapped around the woman's shoulders, and pulled Khelsea a little closer to him while he gave he a wink. Reaching his home they went inside where they quickly changed into their other set of clothes, meeting back out in the front of his house where he drove them to the club. It didn't take them long at all to make it to the night club, especially at the speeds that Kai was driving at.

"C'mon Khels, let's go get changed and enjoy the rest of this night!" He grinned from ear to ear as he parked his speeder and hopped on out. Heading over to the other side to help his friend out before grabbing their things and heading in. The made it inside easily enough. Taking Khelsea's hand, he led the young woman out onto the dance floor where he placed her before him, and he started dancing with her to the beat of the music.