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[demonicbeauty]

[She's not Padmé Amidala. Nor is she Jane Foster. It's just Ariadne, sitting on the wooden floor of her home, in front of an enormous, four-poster bed with a canopy of sheer, white fabric. Splashes of color occasionally hit her face and the background, as her homemade mobiles, flitting with broken pieces of colorful glass, catch whatever sunlight there is. Her long, long, long brown hair is hanging loose over her left shoulder, crinkled to show that it's just come undone from its braid.]

I...I've noticed that a lot of important holidays seem to be in the middle of the winter. And I guess it makes sense. The days are short, the nights are long, and everyone is cold and missing fresh fruits and vegetables. It raises the spirit to have something to celebrate and people to celebrate it with.

[There's a small smile. A memory or two from her days in Valeria.]

Back home, the New Year was the most important holiday. There would be parties and feasts and masked balls. Presents. Lots of music...

[And she misses that music. But Ariadne won't let herself stay sentimental for long.]

Last year, I learned about an Earth holiday. The one where the fat man breaks into people homes and leaves them gifts, instead of stealing stuff. Christmas!

[Makes no sense, but it's a lovely sentiment.]

I was hoping to maybe learn about some other holidays from this time of year. What do your cultures celebrate? Maybe we can find a way to all celebrate together. I'm still convinced that togetherness is the only way we're going to survive this place. And I...I know I'm not alone, feeling that way.

[A small shrug.]

So let's talk to each other more. When there isn't an emergency. Talk about some of the happy things, maybe. Tell me about the good stuff.

[Ariadne doesn't really know where to go from here, so she shrugs again.]

Anyway, that's all. Sorry to interrupt anything.

Comments

Voice; un: ...

[opress]

There's a holiday that involves an overweight human breaking into people's homes? That sounds like a good way to be killed.

I think I will fortify this place in case he appears.

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne laughs her little, bell-like laugh, offering him a smile.]

I think the fat man is just a superstition.

Anyway, I'm sure he wouldn't be here in Trench.

[opress]

How can we be so certain when we have not endured the season of storms here before? It could be a skinny human too. Be on the look out.

[Savage wasn't taking any chances. Anyone broke into his house, and they were dead.]

Did you go to the New Years celebrations on your world?

[demonicbeauty]

[Well, she's hardly going to try to talk a member of his family out of something. Especially when she's pretty sure it's harmless...

But she smiles and nods at the second part.]

Oh yes. It was always a lot of fun. Lots of dancing, and I love dancing.

[opress]

[They had plenty of murderous creatures and plants on site. It should be fine. Maybe he'd go on patrol more this month.]

You seem like someone that could endure lively dancing. You could do a dance festival this month?

[demonicbeauty]

Oh. No, no. I...I don't think I have the ability to host anything.

Balls are in palaces, held by princes and princesses.

[opress]

I think all you need is space, music and invitations.

What's wrong with the streets anyway? We used to dance on dirt.

[demonicbeauty]

That's probably more fun than a ball, anyway.

[She shrugs.]

I don't like wearing fancy shoes. They pinch my toes!

[opress]

Likely. High society has too many rules.

[Not that he would know exactly how it works. Not even the Nightsisters were considered 'high society' by human standards.]

Bare foot or boots then?

[demonicbeauty]

Bare, when I can. But it's getting awfully cold.

[She wrinkles her nose a little bit, trying not to laugh.]

[opress]

Boots then. Apparently if you like something, you're supposed to do it often.

[He frowned at the idea of dancing everywhere though.]

[demonicbeauty]

Apparently.

[She considers that a moment, before leaning forward a little bit.]

What do you like to do?

[opress]

[He should have expected this question to come around, shouldn't he? He snorted softly.]

Fighting and hunting. It's what I was born to do.

[demonicbeauty]

Is there any kind of hunting ritual, around this time?

The winter, I mean.

[opress]

[There's a pause as he hesitated. Discussing tradition wasn't something he was allowed to despite having done it before. He wasn't going back to Dathomir, so was there a point to safe-guarding Nightbrother tradition?]

We... The cycle of storms have us making offerings to our warrior god and preparing for the selection trials.

[demonicbeauty]

[Sounds a bit Daruc. Perhaps, anyway.]

If you don't mind my asking...what are the "selection trials?"

[opress]

A Trial set down by the Nightsisters where males of our species compete in combat to prove our strength for an opportunity to be chosen as mate.

[He was growly and bitter sounding when talking about it.]

While a Trial can be called any time of year, the cycle of storms is when most occur.

[demonicbeauty]

Competing in combat for a mate?

[Ariadne wrinkles her nose.]

That doesn't sound very romantic.

[opress]

Mortality is high. Nightbrothers have two purposes: to serve and to mate.

[And Nightsisters were not particularly gentle with them, which was just something one grew used to.]

[demonicbeauty]

Oh...

[Well, that's awkward.

And more than a little questionable. But it's not her place to judge.]

Well. I guess it's lucky you don't have to go through that here.

[opress]

[He cleared his throat a little because... well, one of the zealots was definitely an old Nightsister. He was avoiding her as much as possible.]

It doesn't matter. I assume your species had mating rituals others would consider strange?

[demonicbeauty]

[She laughs softly.]

Only that our males are the ones who bear the children.

[opress]

What?

[It probably wasn't unusual for some species, but he was admittedly taken aback and intrigued at the same time.]

How does that work? Is it... an egg-laying manner?

[demonicbeauty]

[Honestly, she's only slightly startled by his reaction. She hasn't exactly gone out of her way to discuss Alastrian mating habits with anyone. And she's been around humanoids enough to know that they would find it odd.

Still. It's a...strong reaction.]

Oh, well. In, in a way, I guess. I haven't exactly...I mean, there are so few Alastrians left that I've never...

[She shrugs.]

I've never seen or met one younger than I am. Or a mating couple expecting a litter.

All I know is what my father told me when I was a little girl.

[opress]

[It was just such a strange physiology. He couldn't imagine Zabrak breeding that way, and yet... it would probably suit their females better. Of course, it meant keeping their male alive longer than most would like...]

I've never heard of a sentient species mating that way. I'm certain they exist given the vast species in the galaxy.

[He was still... intrigued. She was such an interesting species.]

I suppose it's not a matter to discuss openly... [But if she wanted to talk about it...]