May the Fourth Be With The All Skate

[jedi_interrupted]

The bar shifts, or it changed when no one was looking, and now resembles a certain cantina popular with the villainy and scum, as well as more upstanding folks. The air is dryer than usual, and a taste of grit and sand just hangs in the air. It just makes you want some blue milk doesn't it?

Has your character changed? Perhaps...who can tell? The Landlord I suppose but they aren't talking.

[ooc: HI and Welcome to a Star Wars themed All Skate, the best way to celebrate May the Fourth! Party style post. You do not have to interact with any of my characters to play.
The Rules are simple:
- This post, and any post with the subject heading ALL SKATE are open to everyone.
That means old characters, new characters, retired characters, doubles of characters, original characters, non-canon compliant characters.
- We will all play nice and adhere to Wheaton's Law: Don't be a dick.
- Gratuitous behavior, either of a violent or sexual nature, will not be tolerated in the Comm. Take that to an OOM, and then Content Warning the hell out of it before you link it.
- Communication is paramount. Everyone's keyed up, let's just have some fun.]

Comments

[clan_of_two]

Some people don't need a costume change, they just fit the bill for the day.

A cantina may not be the best place for a child, but this one doesn't seem to mind. Big ears pricked and dark eyes wide, the Child wanders around looking about at everything with great curiosity; winding around the legs of tables, chairs and people.

He is solo for now, but Mando will no doubt be coming along soon enough to look for him.


[ooc: I have forgotten to say before and maybe should have but, there are two pups and one mun. Will be going into slowtime very soon, but I wanted to tag Star Wars Day.]

[element_wizard]

"Oh. Hello there," Alec said crouching down near the little child, but not right next to. "Where's your minder?"

It takes a moment on his end to shift his ... essence... into something Light Side friendly. From previous experience he knew his normal self made Force sensitives very uncomfortable. Like putting on a cloak, he could change himself to feel either like a Dark or Light Side being. Being Dark Side friendly to a small child? Not a good idea.

[clan_of_two]

The Child pauses in place, clasping his small hands together in front of himself and looking up at the man uncertainly.

He does not blink, studying the man intently. The Child's head is tilted one way, then tilts to the opposite side when the shift is made.

He then holds up a hand, not reaching out or in a wave, but seeming to be feeling the air in front of him.

[element_wizard]

Ah. Yes.

While Alec can't completely neutralize himself in something like the Force, he tries to project friendly. He is friendly. Hurting children isn't his thing. It's tasteless and pointless. Toddlers even more so.

And there's too many memories of children, his or not dying while he watched unable to do anything about. He didn't think about that.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Promise. I know I might feel scary but I'm not."

[clan_of_two]

The Child's ears prick to the man's voice and words and there is a moment of hesitation.

Then the Child lowers his hand and takes a few steps forward, looking the man up and down and now finally offering a smile.

[element_wizard]

He smiles encouragingly, but doesn't approach.

"Want to see a trick?" This is complete slight of hand, no magic or power or anything else. He shows his hands to be empty. Then he cups and blows onto them. Revealing his previously open hands, a thumb sized rubber ducky is sitting there. "Neat, huh?"

As he does this, he gives a look around for anyone missing a kid. Anyone who looks like the Child.

[clan_of_two]

Looking at the man's hands the Child is at first disappointed that they are empty. Watching the odd display, the Child's eyes widen and his head draws back in surprise at the appearance of the duck.

He looks up at the man, back at the duck, then up at the man, holding his gaze on the man's face while slowly reaching out for the duck.

While this is happening the front door opens and a man in gleaming armor steps through. The helmet with a T-shaped visor is covering his face and expression, but by the set of his shoulders and the way he scans the room with one hand hovering near the blaster on his hip, he does seem a bit on edge.

[element_wizard]

To encourage in the taking of the ducky, Alec holds out his hand, still smiling

"Neat trick, isn't it?" he says. "It's not going to hurt you. It's going to go squeak."

Unfortunately, focusing on the Child as he is and keeping his "presence" in the Force quiet, Alec does not notice the man walking into the bar.

[clan_of_two]

Grabbing the duck, the Child inspects it for a moment then bring it to his mouth to bite it.

When the duck squeaks the Child's ears jump up and he makes a startled noise.

Mando's head snaps around in the direction of that exclamation and he heads their way in quick strides.

"Hey!"

[element_wizard]

Ah. He should have squeaked it first. Ah well.

Alec's head jerks up at the Mando's cry and he spots the man coming over to him. He has "What are you doing to my kid" vibes coming off of him. With the added, "if you hurt him you will become a stain on the wall". Alec knows this. He's done this himself over the many years of his life. And while this is Milliways, he also knows that parents are very good at ignoring rules when it comes to their kids. Which leaves him with a bit of a problem. He doesn't want to get into a possible fight. He's not good in fights. There are two modes of fighting for him: sword or nuke it from orbit. Subtly not his strong suit.

There's still time to prevent it all from going to hell in a hand-basket. Turning his attention back to the Child he asks, "Is that your dad, over there?" pointing to Mando.

[clan_of_two]

The initial shock from that first squeak fades quickly and the Child attacks the duck with his mouth, gleefully producing more squeaking and an awful racket that could, to some ears, sound like squealing murder.

The Child beams at the man while chewing on the toy, not acknowledging the question or the other man on approach until the last possible moment.

Mando arrives, blaster still holstered, but ready to draw once he identifies what is going on with the ruckus. His actions are halted by the Child who turns around and holds the duck up to show off to Mando, smiling.

Looking at the Child, the duck and then the man, Mando asks, "Everything alright?"

[element_wizard]

Yes. Alec is that horrible uncle who gives kids noisy toys that drive parents crazy. Sorry, not sorry, Mando.

Toddler with a new toy. That's about what to be expected.

It's a very cute duckie too.

"I believe so. He's, yours yes?" he asked, still staying crouched at the Child's level.

[clan_of_two]

The Child starts to chew on the toy again, restarting the racket.

Mando seems impassive about this, holding his focus on the man (underneath the helmet he is grimacing).

"I'm looking after him," he replies, helmet dipping in a short nod. "I didn't realize he could end up in this place alone."

It puts another hitch into the already complicated situation he and the kid are in right now.

[element_wizard]

Outside Alec looks like he's ignoring the racket. Inside he is cackling in glee. Because he is a terrible person.

"Yeah. The Bar's like that. Gods know, I had that problem more than once or twice, when I had kids," he said with a quit visible because he's not wearing a helmet grimace, that is tinged with a bit of some sort of regret. "It's a bit...scary and worrisome with a good help of panic inducement as you fear that something has gone horribly wrong and you'll never see them again and what do you do..."

A blink, "And that word didn't translate well at all." Because the word he actually used which got translated involved a bit more ... trauma... that what he did say. Ah well.

"But at least the Bar is one of the safer places they could end up in. She won't let anything happen to kids that come in here. And most people here would kill or seriously injure anyone who tries to hurt a kid. Especially one this young."

I figure Blue Ghostly Anakin gets to be corporeal in Milliways. Sorry 'bout this. No willsave.

[forceimbalance]

That is a baby Yoda.

The man who crouches down to peer under the table looks surprisingly youthful, despite the corners of his eyes and lines around his mouth, as well as the few streaks of gray in his hair, betraying that he is rather older than his perpetual baby-face makes him look.

(He accepted the beard was an idiotic look eventually; he initially ditched it when Yoda made a snarky remark about 'like Master like Padawan.' Nope, he was not imitating Kenobi and he refuses to do anything that might imply he would do so.

He's still working on himself.)

All of which reminds him, that is a baby Yoda.

Anakin takes some care to rein in his presence in the Force a little bit. Possibly the Child has a guardian (he assumes Force-user) nearby and he doesn't want to alarm them. He especially doesn't want to alarm them with his own knowledge of his presence now is pure Force at its core, with both Light and Dark swirling around it like a galaxy. He's still working on not leaning too far to the Dark, but either way, any trained Jedi would be immediately wary of that. He also doesn't want to frighten the Child.

(He killed enough children in his lifetime.)

"Hello, youngling," he says with careful cheer. The words back up the tentative psychic greeting.

[clan_of_two]

The Child has picked up a discarded beer bottle cap and is inspecting it when the man peers underneath the table.

Looking up, the Child starts to smile but it gets caught somewhere in the process and his expression holds on a look of mild surprise, his mouth slightly agape.

His ears slant downward and he stares at the man, a little uncertain but also openly curious.

[forceimbalance]

Clearly Anakin has more work to do.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He tries to imagine, for a moment, what it would have felt like to rock the infant twins to sleep.

(Don't focus on how angry you are you didn't get to, Skywalker. Yell at Kenobi about it later.)

Slowly his presence in the Force evens out and pulls in further to something almost normal, at least for a powerful user. It's more gray, now, and less a galaxy than a nebula birthing a star--but the flickers towards light and dark have calmed a lot. Hopefully it's enough not to overwhelm such a young sensitive's perception. "Sorry about that. It got a lot bigger to handle a few years ago. I'm still learning," he says ruefully.

Fifty years since his birth, five since his death at Endor, and he's still learning. Obi-wan says that's a good sign.

"Better now?" He hopes so. The Child doesn't seem lost or afraid, so a responsible adult must be somewhere. "Do you know where your guardian is, little one?"

[clan_of_two]

Staring at the man, the Child's ears lift and fall as he gathers himself. The young one seems to not only be looking at the man, but through him as those powers swirl and coalesce and finally calm.

The Child makes a sound of approval, somewhere between a coo and a soft growl, then moves out from beneath the table.

He seems to consider the last question for a moment, but rather than answer he holds the bottle cap up towards the man.

[forceimbalance]

Anakin is entirely unsurprised by the Child looking far beyond the skin deep. After all, it's a baby Yoda.

He tells himself he's being unfair; he might just as well say baby Yaddle. And he can tell the Child isn't them, either, because he is far too familiar with Yoda and Yaddle looked different. Still. He can't help but make the comparison.

Either way, the Child being this Force-sensitive is about as shocking as Tatooine being sandy, so he's not bothered. If anything, it helps. The Child is far better equipped than most to make his own decisions about Anakin.

That decision is more favorable than Anakin had expected, too, so he relaxes quite a lot (which helps with his Force presence, too). He grins. "Is that for me?"

He reaches out to tug at it a little--and not with his hand. Younglings in the creche always liked playing with the Force. But if the Child wants to keep it, Anakin won't fight him.

[clan_of_two]

The Child's fingers close for a moment when he feels that pull, then let go of the cap although he does not surrender it.

Instead his hand lifts and he hangs onto the cap in a light, invisible, tug-of-war.

[forceimbalance]

Anakin beams.

(He wishes he could have played with Luke and Leia like this. Leia probably would have cheated.)

He's careful not to pull too hard--even as strong with the Force as the Child is, he's a baby and Anakin is... rather more than he could have been in life.

He slips down from kneeling to sitting cross-legged on the floor. It's much easier on the knees. (He has knees, he's still not used to that.) On a whim, he sets the cap spinning on its horizontal axis.

He's also searching through the Bar with his mind, looking for some kind of objects that might do, and then feels extremely silly. His shifts his focus. Ah, Bar? Mind sending over a few toys over for the youngling and I? She'll know what's... appropriate, under the circumstances.

[clan_of_two]

Head tilting as the cap starts to spin, the Child flickers his small hand a little, causing the cap to spin faster, which causes a chortle of delight from him.

Given the day and Bar's current mood, 'appropriate' seems to mean from that certain galaxy far, far away. A helpful rat carries over a basket with a small assortment of things for the Child and Anakin, including a fluffy stuffed porg and an ewok bear in amid other items they might enjoy.

[forceimbalance]

Anakin rolls his eyes very slightly. Really? he asks Bar. Ewoks?

He doesn't know what's worse about the violent little teddy bears: that they so thoroughly devastated the Stormtrooper deployment or that Luke somehow convinced them C-3P0 was a god. Honestly. 3P0.

What Anakin decides to float out, for the moment, are three balls that glow. Time for a little test of juggling. A gesture of his hands sends them circling the spinning cap. He wants to see what the Child decides to do with them. (The balls are, naturally, large enough not to be choking hazards, not that Anakin has necessarily thought about this himself.)

[clan_of_two]

The Child sends the cap spinning faster still while Anakin inspects the toys.

When the balls join the display the Child gives an 'Oh!' expression.

Brow furrowing a little, the Child opens his small hand wider and takes control of the balls as well. They begin circling around the spinning cap, orbiting it like the circling electrons of an atom. Slowly at first, but gradually picking up speed.