deercountry | A celebration! [OTA]

Entry tags:

A celebration! [OTA]

Who: Ezra + CR + You!
What: A party to celebrate the Ezra Bridger's Knighting
When: Evening of 4/1
Where: The Sanctuary!

Content Warnings: Should mostly be wholesome good times, but it is a Jedi coming of age celebration, references to genocide and cultural loss, are possible.

When he'd first kicked around the idea of taken a self written oath and having a celebration in lieu of a Knighting, Ezra had assumed the get-together would be the handful of Jedi in Trench, and maybe a couple of other friends, if that.

LIfe has a funny way of throwing curveballs. Or - sometimes the Force provides.

He'd been pleasantly bewildered when Sansa had come up to him, having spotted the off the cuff Knighting ceremony under the guardian tree, and offered to have a feast at the Sanctuary as well.

Sansa, with Anakin Solo's help, has gone all out, as much as possible, on relatively short notice. Banners with the symbol of the Jedi Order adorn the Sanctuary grounds, and the full kitchen of the complex is thrown into setting out a minor feast, cakes included.

Ezra hadn't really thought to ask for alcoholic refreshment, that's there too. As well as wildly eclectic music and lights strung up to section off some space for a dance floor.

Everything open to all.

(OOC: Have at! Top level away! Will drop an OTA for Ezra below)

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A. A quiet moment

Early in the evening, Ezra is mostly all genuine smiles, but every once and a while, his eyes stray towards one of the banners with a sigil on it and he'll blink hard before jerking his attention back to offer a gracious, "Thank you for coming."

B.Dancing!

Has Ezra ever taken any dancing lessons? No. Is he a natural at dancing? ....Eh. Force senses are enough to not stop on nearby feet.

Is he game to dance with anyone tonight? YES.

C. The far side of tipsy

Ezra is an Outer Rim boy, which means for him the term 'underage drinking' only comes from his memories of growing up in America. Still, Ezra's never been one for intoxicants much, and even trying to pace himself, the evening gets away from him a little.

He holds out a hand, trying to pull himself to standing straight. "Ok, ok. In my defense, pretty sure more trashed than this is also a tradition thousands of brand new Knights have indulged in. Uh. I can purge this. In theory."

D. Wildcard

(OOC:Absolutely wildcard, please come and give congratulations and teasing in whatever is one's way, short of like, maiming.)

"Not purging it's the hard part, usually."

Yeah, he went for the lowball joke, but it was right there. Also, Robby? Not drunk. Because he's not much for drinking himself silly, and this isn't his party. But he's so here for Ezra getting loose and enjoying himself.

And being the dumb joke maker. You're welcome, bud!

"You need water, or a seat?"

Ezra shoots him a shaky smile that hints at queasiness, but he doesn't think he's hit quite that point where he can't help himself on that more 'natural' purging.

"...both?" Let's go with both. Water can't be a bad idea, he's pretty sure.

"Seat first," Robby decides from that face, which is always a 50/50 on where the rest of its owner night is going. He'll offer his arm, "C'mon, knight of the night--just in case," a fond sound sticking to his throat.

Luckily, there's plenty of seats to be found to shuffle over to, away from the food. He'll watch how Ezra sits first, how he sounds.

Ask, too: "Room not spinning?"

It's always too late once the room spins.

Ezra takes that arm without any hesitation, perfectly willing to be led to a chair.

He sits heavily, but mostly upright. "Hmmm, I'm vertigo-y, but not full spinny. Probably."

"Well, you don't sound too bad--doesn't mean much."

He's so helpful right now with that lighthearted tone, but it's true, too. You know when someone is for sure off the deep-end, but some people can still surprise you. Robby pats Ezra's shoulder.

"I'll get you that water. It shouldn't hurt."

As in, the water definitely won't cause any accidents that weren't gonna happen anyway. Robby slips a humoured 'be right back' in before he walks off, and the water...will take him actually needing to go to the kitchens to find, since it's easier. But Robby will be back for our man of the night without any further distractions, and he thankfully has some familiarity with the Sanctuary's layout, thanks to his time working with Viktor.

And Robby will come back with a cup for Ezra. Still holding up there? If so, Robby will hand over the liquid. "Here, take the drinking easy. Alcohol dries you up--you should drink plenty in the morning."

Ezra's uncharacteristically slouched and loose limbed, but still in the chair, and conscious, alert enough to drag his attention from blearily, if happily people-watching to take the cup.

"Thanks, Robby," he mumbles before carefully taking a long sip.

And then, out of nowhere, although it follows in his head, "Kanan used to drink like your dad." Then he cringes at his own words. "Not - not when he was raising me."

Not even in the horrible months after Kanan was blinded, as far as Ezra is aware. "But Hera still - her rule was, not on the ship. Not around him. "

The subject surprises Robby--startles him even, if not physically. That wasn't what he was expecting. This is probably one of those conversations a person will regret in the morning, he realises, but Robby's used to seeing those.

Not that he was ever privy to those.

"Must be easy to enforce when you're out in space," Robby finally says, after a paused moment. He takes a seat himself beside Ezra, now that he's sure that Ezra isn't immediately going to turn for the worst. "I didn't grow up with my dad. Grew up with my mom. She liked to go out for her fun."

Which wasn't just drinks. But Robby has some mercy to offer, continuing. "--I've been to a few parties too. You're definitely in the 'new guy who can't handle his drink' range."

Ezra nods slightly. "American high school me did not really do parties, either. It was me and my big brother against the world, so disappointing Ben-"

He clears his throat, and grins shakily. "Until I had all my memories and went full Jedi on him. Nothing like telling the guy who you remember busting his ass to give you...nearly everything you didn't have in your other memories, that no you're not doing drugs, and you're cutting class for good reasons. It's just that your life isn't real."

"Is that the reason you used to cut classes? I shoulda tried that one."

This might be a more sombre reflection, but Robby slips that in anyway, a spark of inspiration lighting his face briefly with the idea. He hums between his lips before leaning back.

"So--no other family, just a brother? How'd that work, ponyboy?"

Either the reference hits or misses. Let's not get hung up on the details, Ezra.

Ezra is a nerd who does his school reading, thank you. HE makes a disgruntled face at Robby, but doesn't dispute it.

"Oh, well, the spell borrowed and translated things? Sort of?" He rubs at his eyes, and rattles off, "Like - the Empire took my parents on the anniversary of Empire Day, which is my birthday. In the spell life it was....my mom died giving birth to me. And on Ben's side - Ben - Obi-wan took on Anakin immediately after he was Knighted."

He sighs, and admits, "They were both probably too young for it, but Obi-wan's master...Maul murdered him. Obi-wan was knighted for surviving that fight and defeating Maul without losing it. The spell kinda toned that down to our dad dying in a wreck when Ben was in college-"

He makes a motion with his hands of jamming things together.

Okay, Robby winces at pieces of that (like the whole Maul killing the master part, and the dad part). Other worlds or realities are weird. But that's good enough, he doesn't need Ezra to go on, his nose wrinkling.

"I was thinking how do two brothers make it work, but you know what? Fake life." The details of how they lived didn't particularly matter. Somehow, some way, you just do. It was probably amazing he and his mom never ended up homeless for long.

Instead, there is something the topic spurs in Robby himself. "If you didn't have that life with him, you think you'd see Obi-Wan like family still?"

He blinks over at Robby. "Yeah. Absolutely. In some ways the fake memories just muddied things."

He takes another long sip of water. "'We are Jedi. We're already family.' His words, here. Like, weeks after he'd met me, from his perspective, for the first time. He's uh. Been consistent on that, no matter how messy and out of order we are."

Ok, the very first time Ezra had met him, the old man in the desert hadn't used those exact words. Saving Ezra's life and planting himself firmly between Maul and Ezra, the warmth in Master Kenobi's voice telling him his way home, that he already had what he needed - that all counted in Ezra's book.

Robby tips his head as if in acceptance, though he's sucking on the inside of his lip, the cogs of his brain still at work.

"Messy and out of order counts as family too, my experience. If you want it to." Because hey, cut out people from your life if you need to (even if it's easier said than done). "Screws up what I wanted to ask. If you're family by default--Miyagi-do looks out for each other, but we don't go that far."

In a non-judgmental way. He'd been called family once, but it hadn't--Robby thinks--been under the context of schools. It's not something he really thinks about now. And what he is thinking about, well.

He wishes he had his own cup to fiddle with right now. Instead, Robby looks out to the rest of the party, taps the back of his heel against the floor. Shrugs.

"Mister LaRusso told me he sees me like a son. Weird to get your head around after watching your actual dad pick up new guys to play family with when he hasn't been around you most your life."

Maybe it's an unfair way of phrasing it, but Robby can't think of anything better right now. It's not sourly said, but any means.

"Temple raised Jedi did things very differently from American nuclear family - the idealized version, anyway," Ezra says, quietly. "It was hard for Ben to...reconcile, when he had all his memories back."

But that is not really the point. Robby is trying to tell him something. Maybe ask for a sounding board. He shifts in his seat so he's facing Robby a little more.

"Which part do you want to talk about more - Mister LaRusso or your dad? Or is too connected?"

He looks back at Ezra, head leaning than his body turning in the same way as he considers the question. Talking about--well, he knows he can't talk about Mister LaRusso. That's an issue he'd rather walk into the sea than touch on, and his dad and his new family in Trench?

Robby laughs, just a small thing as he shakes his head. Looks back at Ezra with something like a grin.

"You know? I think I just wanted to say it aloud to someone. It's your party." Okay, he's definitely grinning, tilting his head in Ezra's direction. "I'm not gonna lump you with my messy family troubles."

A beat. "But it looks like the water helped."

Or sitting down. Even both, maybe.

Ezra watches Robby for a long beat, before he smiles - and it is a real smile - and nods.

Just needing to say something out loud? Totally valid. And if that was all a nice way of saying back off because Ezra came on too strong, well, Ezra thinks that also valid.

"Yeah!" He slowly gets to his feet, testing his equilibrium. He'd not sure how much of it was the water, or taking a few minutes to clear his head, or subconsciously drawing on the Force all a little, but it's better.

He reaches out and brushes a hand across Robby's shoulder, still smiling. "And yeah, party. But the willingness to return the favor on the heavy stuff's there, ok?"

Robby stands as well, once Ezra's been up a bit and when it's clear he isn't going to decide that was a bad idea and sit right back down. His mouth tugs one side at the hand on his shoulder, but become more of an amused smile as Ezra goes on. A not-so-serious grimace on his face.

"Sure, but lemme find something that's not my family life. My dad shares enough of that as it is."

Like, repeatedly. He can't be a walking typecast of The Son.

But he can raise his chin in a quick gesture. "Go find someone cute to dance with. Party."

Less family drama.

[vi is a pretty great dancer but she's also game to dance with anyone, anytime ...almost. and she'll slide up with a much improved moonwalk since her last public attempt, a huge grin on her face as if she's up to something.

she is. and then she'll just shout it out, because she's had a few too many and what is an indoor voice anyway?]

Have you put any of these moves on Sansa? [and with a wink she'll add a cheeky:] Ser Ezra?

[Perhaps because he's a little sloshed, he processes the form of address first, and opens his mouth to yell back something along the lines that Ser isn't the customary honorific for knights of the Jedi persuasion -

But before he gets that far, his brain catches up with the rest, and he stumbles a little.]

Wha-

[He gulps, and splutters-]

Moves? Sansa? ....what?

[He understands the colloquialism just fine. Still confused!]

[still dancing, but she slows down just a little - he's going to be ser ezra now forever ok.]

Aww c'mon. You telling me you haven't thought about it?

[that gulp. that splutter. could either be a yes or a no. huh. it's a mystery, so she'll keep on prying.]

Something wrong with Sansa?

[her arms fold and she stops dancing - she's being playful stern but it might not come across that way. because alcohol.]

[Ezra slows to a stop, too, although more poised like he wants to run away.

In constrast to the firm tone of voice as replies, emphatically‐]

Sansa is amazing.

[Doesn't really make this conversation less awkward, in his book.]

[running away might be a good option.]

Ohhhhh. So you do like Sansa?

[arms still folded but she's smirking again.]

[He opens and closes his mouth a few times in fuzzy frustration. Words along these lines aren't easy for him at the best of times, and now they're sliding away from him under the haze of intoxication.]

I. Yes?

Did she - Are you -

[He scowls.]

She's my friend. And - and I know what you mean. Not...not knowing if it's the way you mean ‐ is a me problem, not a her problem, and -

[He draws himself as straight as he can.] Something I should probably be talking to her about it first.

[oh! that's a forthright yes? well, now she just leans in with that big dopey grin and reaches out to clap him on the back - it's for a few reasons: the admission (even if it's a just friends thing, a belated congratulations on the knighting ceremony, and also ...again: alcohol.]

Did she what? Say anything? Ask me to talk to you? Nah. Am I what? Nosy? Yup. I do that. What can I say, I'm invested.

She's my family. And my friend. Family can be friends, it's been heard to happen. What do you mean a---

---oh, so you like her, like her, but just haven't said anything? That what's up?

Well, we can take care of that right now if ya want!

[she squints, searching for sansa. because this is clearly how to do things, right?]

[Most of his family is also his friends, thank you. And he knows Vi is Sansa's family, which is why she hasn't gotten a flat it's none of her business.

Still he yelps-]

Vi, no! Not - not in public like this. Where she has to be polite.

And I'm a mess-

She deserves better.

[she starts at the yelp, stops in her tracks and considers.]

Oh, yeah. That's ...probably. Huh. You really think she'd---

[this is sansa. so the answer's likely yes. the more she thinks on it the more she frowns.]

---okay, so in private, then. Mess? You look fine to me, but I'm a few cups in, too so take that with a grain of salt. Why better? Her judgment's pretty spot on when it comes to quality people, so if she's spending any time with you at all, it's probably because she doesn't think she's wasted.

[wait, what? what a slip.]

I mean wasting it.

[He frowns just a touch, at that stutter in her words, but dismisses it and his expression clears, and he gives Vi a helpless grin.]

Oh. No. I didn't mean better than me as a person, or -or that I'm a mess all the time—hers to decide. [He nods, sharp. Some other day, his insecurity about his street rat days might have crept on him, and might yet again. But today he knows he's a knight.]

I meant -today has been, uh. All my emotions are very big today. Even before the- [Um, how many?] Drinks.

[Very earnestly-] She deserves...all my attention. To really talk. Not being tacked on at the end. [He waves around to indicate the entire celebration.]

[it's a grin that seems as genuine as she expects it to be, and she's laughing at herself, pressing a palm to her forehead as he clarifies. is she too used to having the people close to her trash talk themselves? possibly.]

Good to know. I'm not usually this much of a mess either. This is a planned mess, because hey, it's a party. What better place than to cut loose a little. You earned it. [....] Ser.

I get it. Big emotions, big drinks, take it from me and stop way before forty. Maybe fifteen. Ten, even.

[headtilt]

You had too many drinks to show me some more of those moves? The dancing kind, I mean. We can trade off.

[there are gears turning in her mind. they're going somewhere, but she's not sure where just yet. wheeeee. drinks! doesn't matter right now. but this could be a mission. she'd hoped sansa might have found romance at her nameday party, but there's promise here, it's belated, but she'll take it.]

[This time Ezra shakes he head vigorously.] No one uses Ser for Jedi back home. It's...not exactly that kind of knight.

[He smirks.] The ridiculous formal title randos default to is 'Master Jedi'. [He's aware by many people's metrics that ones worse. And certainly, the first time someone called him that, his brain immediately bluescreened.]

And I'm game.

I'm not the expert on knights, so if I gotta take your word for it, then that's that.

Really? [a bit of a brow arch before she laughs. everybody's got titles, it seems.] Well, okay, Master Jedi Ezra, let's see whatcha got.

[she's starting with one she's mastered recently. there are a few she hasn't quite, and she's not sure the dance floor's ready for that foolishness yet. so she'll do a little moonwalk around him, tipping an imaginary hat. that's her contribution.]

Perhaps it should be odd for a Sith Lord to attend a Jedi Knighting festival, and indeed he felt weird when he saw the Jedi Order flags, since it felt like he was intruding someplace he didn't belong. He has mixed feelings on the Jedi Order as a whole, even if they're mainly directed at the Order of his time. But he came for Ezra and he's going to offer his congratulations.

A flute of sparkling wine in hand, Talwyn approaches Ezra. "I'll admit, I wasn't sure if a Sith would be welcome or not."

Ezra snaps his focus to Talwyn, and then grins and throws his arms wide, expansively magnanimous.

"I said everyone! I meant everyone. I guess I could have specified 'as long as you leave homicidal urges at the door' but I kiiiinda thought that went without saying?"

Then he schools his expression back to a softer, pleased smile. "Nah, man. I'm glad you came."

Talwyn chuckles. "I promise I'll keep my saberstaff holstered unless someone starts trouble." He never goes anywhere without it.

"I confess I don't know much about Jedi ceremonies, but it seems like you pulled something together quite well." He raises his glass in a toast, and takes a sip of his drink.

"Much appreciated," Ezra says, cheerily.

On Jedi ceremonies, he remarks, "Well, Knighting by your master and Master Kenobi was on the High Council, an oath taking, and a party. Those bits, traditional. The details...." He waggles a hand.

"Well, congratulations," He toasts Ezra again. "Sounds less violent than when I got my Sith title." Sith things tend to involve lots of bloodshed and even death.

"By the way, I think I've gotten that geo-compressor finished, if you still wish to learn more about making kyber crystals."

"Hmmm, Master Kenobi was knighted for defeating the first Sith who'd surfaced in a thousand years. In the same fight Maul murdered his master. I don't think that fact ever brought Obi-wan any real satisfaction but....there's that in tradition, too."

He clears his throat. "I do. I'm here for the long haul, whatever powers control returning to the sea willing. Someone will need kyber, at some point."

"You know, sometimes I wonder if Maul's master kept him from reaching his full potential," Talwyn doesn't pretend to know how Darth Sidious did things, he just knows that his own master was a very good teacher who helped him become powerful.

"Indeed they will. I'll leave the gathering of minerals to you, it's more personal that way."

Sorry, Ezra's distracted by the first part, and openly staring. Sometimes wonder? How is this a question?

"Uh, I'm like 90% sure Sidious deliberately emotionally cripples and isolates his apprentices, so they'll be dependent on him. I don't think it's coincidence that the first fight he sent Maul to pick, so publically, was to murder the former apprentice of the Jedi Master he recruited to be his next Sith apprentice."

"You know, he could give a lot of the Sith of my time a run for their credits when it comes to manipulation and cunning. My Emperor has to do everything through agents and a glorified hit man." And Darth Malgus, for that matter. It also just reinforces Talwyn's belief that the Rule of Two held the Sith back in the end, if Sidious only took one apprentice at a time.

Ezra cocks his head at Talwyn for a moment, brow furrowed, and then eventually says, "....I'm not drunk enough for this conversation. All I've got right now is, hmmm, maybe emperors were a mistake."

Maul wasn't one much for parties. Or celebrating. Or really anything that had to do with lots of people in a crowd. In short, socialization was something that hadn't ever been a big part of his life and continued to be so here. Maul liked the people he did with a fierce intensity but much preferred that to be in a one-on-one setting.

He had arrived and immediately leaped up into the guardian sapling, the energy produced by the tree something that calmed his restless spirit and kept him from having second thoughts about doing this. He waited until Ezra was alone and close to where he was perched. Then he leapt down and approached the newly-appointed Jedi Knight.

"Congratulations. Perhaps you will be a better Jedi than those that came before." Really, he meant that as a compliment. Maul had seen how stagnant the order had been in his own time and knew a dramatic change would have been needed to keep the Jedi Order alive. "I believe it is customary to bring gifts to such events as this, so I brought you something." He abruptly thrust a folded piece of paper at Ezra. When he unfolded it, there was a rough sketch of Kanan on it. "He would have been proud of what you have become."

Ezra did say everyone was welcome, and he meant it, but Maul's demeanor is so furtive, he goes still and wary, before he registers what is being held out is simply paper. His gaze flickers between Maul and the gift before he gingerly takes it and unfolds it.

He stands silent, and then swallows hard, confusion tinged with anger flaring up, as recognition clicks into place.

"You did the sketch of Master Jinn that Obi-Wan put into the living room," is what he finally says, voice rough - the part that he can't help but helplessly angry about. Maul, this Maul, never hurt Kanan.

And he should hold onto this anger, either. Obi-wan held onto the sketch, didn't he?

Then, he adds, like it's being dragged out of him, "Thank you."

Maul's eyes actually lit up when Ezra said that Obi-Wan had put his sketch in the living room. He'd had no idea how Obi-Wan had actually reacted to his gift and had never bothered to ask, afraid that he wouldn't like the answer. To know the Jedi had appreciated a reminder of his old master enough to display it made Maul feel like he'd done something right for once in their complicated relationship.

Which brought him back to the subject of the other complicated relationship that was standing right in front of him. "I met him when he came out of the sea for a brief time. We came to an....understanding, he and I," Maul explained. It had partially allowed him to atone for something that lay in his future, something he had not done and now would never do.

Ezra nods, gaze unfocused, before he murmurs, "Good."

He clears his throat. "Good. I'm sorry to have missed him entirely. I've gotten a few nice stories out of Obi-wan."

"I do wish I'd gotten the chance to apologize to him." But it had taken Maul a very long time to get to the point where he no longer felt proud about his act of killing the old Jedi Master.

"Well, anyway..." Maul trailed off for a moment. It was times like this that his social awkwardness became very apparent. He rarely knew how to interact with people on any level for a length of time before reverting to his usual corrosive personality. "I hope this gathering makes you happy."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A celebration! [OTA]

OTA (will match formating)

c / cw: vomiting joke

cw: vomiting joke

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B but also C so i guess that's a D?

I love it

yay!

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A. A quiet moment

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D

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