Chapter Twenty-three

"So, remember what we talked about, K'aashi?" Noaa'lan asked as he straightened out his friend's formal cape.

"Yeah, always go from the outside in with utensils, don't belch, don't wipe my mouth on my sleeve, elbows off the table, and the napkin goes on my lap, not inside my shirt collar," K'aashi recited. The noise in the banquet hall was escalating around them as people moved chairs and tables in, preparing for the big event. Banners of fuchsia and gold hung from the rafters and traditional festival melodies could be heard echoing throughout the chamber.

"That's good. You're getting the hang of it. Now all you have to do is try not to draw attention to yourself and you've got it," Noaa'lan said, clapping K'aashi on the shoulder. "I know you're capable of doing that, if you really try."

"Thanks buddy," K'aashi said, rolling his eyes. "Do I really draw that much attention to myself?"

"I'm just saying, it would be better if you didn't since I've only had a day to groom you for nobility," Noaa'lan explained.

"All right, I guess I can so I don't embarrass you," K'aashi muttered.

"I'm only doing this because you want to spy on S'aalia, K'aashi! I wouldn't make you come to one of these things otherwise. They're pretty boring if you ask me," Noaa'lan clarified, shouting above the din that filled the hall.

"Whatever. I just can't wait until S'aalia gets what she needs out of her uncle and this entire thing is all over with. I feel like a fool in this outfit! Look at this! You nobles certainly don't know anything about comfort!" K'aashi cried in disgust.

Noaa'lan laughed at his friend's comment. The traditional dress for the festival certainly was gaudy and uncomfortable, not to mention outdated. However, it was tradition, and his father always told him that upholding tradition was the basis for maintaining culture.

"Noaa'lan!" Cel'aanaeus called from the other side of the chamber. Noaa'lan immediately ran over to see his father, leaving K'aashi stranded by the buffet. "Please see that Minister Lei'hai's outer garment is hung in the proper place."

"Right away, father," Noaa'lan said, taking the indigo cape from the Minister of Defense and putting it in the cloak room.

"Ha!" Kahl'aan yelled, jumping out from around the corner. "Did I scare you?"

"No, for the last time, you didn't scare me in the least. I could sense you hiding there," Noaa'lan replied. "What did you do to your hair? It looks good."

"I just put a little styling gel in it," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly.

"Styling gel, huh? You wouldn't be pruning your appearance for a certain mystery woman, now would you?" Noaa'lan said with a grin.

"Her? She doesn't even exist! Unlike you, I don't care about dating or women," Kahl'aan protested.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Your only true love is your hologaming machine," Noaa'lan said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, speaking of which, I have this new game that I gotta' show you after this dumb festival is over," Kahl'aan muttered.

"Don't let father catch you calling it dumb! He wants us to respect N'aanwarian traditions," Noaa'lan said, elbowing his brother.

"Oh, I respect it, I just think it's dumb. I see K'aashi also agrees with me," Kahl'aan said with a smirk, pointing to K'aashi who was standing awkwardly against a wall on the other side of the ballroom. "Why did you even bring him, Noaa'lan? You knew he'd be uncomfortable. This wouldn't have anything to do with your secret plans that you're not telling father about, now would it?"

"If you don't stop butting into my business, I'm going to record over all of your holodiscs and put S'aahai's boring old N'aanwarian literature history lectures on them!" Noaa'lan hissed. "Now, go help father greet the guests!"

"All right, I'm going!" Kahl'aan groaned as he followed his brother to the great hall's entrance.

"I don't see why I have to attend this Narundi sponsored event, J'aa'nie. You know I can't stand that thieving scoundrel, Cel'aanaeus," R'aa'nlan insisted vehemently.

"That makes two of us," Graa'nak said, looking warily up at the royal palace. His face had a look of disgust on it, and it was obvious to J'aa'nalia that the last thing he wanted to do was venture inside.

"Father, we already went over this. We're attending this festival event to show our appreciation for the Narundis teaching me when you were unable to," J'aa'nalia said, taking hold of her father's arm and ushering him closer to the entrance.

"Ugh, I hope you realize how much this makes my stomach churn. I never thought I'd see the day where I was showing my appreciation to such a vile creature as Cel'aanaeus." R'aa'nlan said as he reluctantly went through the doors to grand ballroom. Graa'nak followed cautiously a few steps behind.

"Welcome to-," Cel'aanaeus said, and then stopped cold in the middle of his sentence. "R'aa'nlan, what a surprise this is!"

"Don't even think of throwing me out, Narundi. I have as much of a right to be here as you. My daughter, much to my dismay, is a student at your academy."

"Yes, of course. Welcome to the Festival of M'taknai celebration. Noaa'lan, please assist Master T'naa'lichi, his nephew and his daughter with their cloaks." Cel'aanaeus said tensely, not knowing if R'aa'nlan was there to pick a fight or not.

"Remember, Narundi. Not a smudge goes on this cloak or else," R'aa'nlan said in a low voice as Noaa'lan took his garment. J'aa'nalia handed Noaa'lan hers and he could feel the electricity as their hands touched. She looked up uneasily at him, secretly wishing for this moment to be over so she could be sure her father wasn't going to make a scene.

"Come, my dear, there is much merriment to be had," Graa'nak stated, offering his arm to J'aa'nalia. She accepted and Graa'nak led her out onto the dance floor.

"Don't just stand there Narundi, get going with those cloaks!" R'aa'nlan hissed. "You should have taught the boy some better manners, Cel'aanaeus!"

"I assure you, he is quite well mannered," Cel'aanaeus said softly as Noaa'lan ran off to the cloak room.

"Hopefully he's got better manners than you ever had, you thieving Ten'aaha!" R'aa'nlan growled. He stuck a finger right in the center of Cel'aanaeus' chest as his temper escalated.

"R'aa'nlan, if you don't mind, I have other guests to attend to," Cel'aanaeus said cautiously, trying not to set R'aa'nlan off. "So, if you'd please go on in and enjoy the festivities."

"Rest assured Narundi, I shall enjoy the festivities about as much as being dipped in a vat of boiling acid. I only came to please my daughter," R'aa'nlan spat as he walked inside. He turned around to point a finger at Cel'aanaeus. "One day, Narundi, you'll get what you've got coming to you. One day, you'll see."

"Was that just R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi I saw, or am I seeing things?" Bel'aanaea asked her husband.

"No, that was R'aa'nlan, holding just as much of a grudge as he ever did," Cel'aanaeus sighed. "Some things never change."

"Noaa'lan, don't look now, but-,"

"I know, I know, Graa'nak is dancing with J'aa'nalia. I saw when they came in," Noaa'lan said gloomily.

"Holy Ten'aaha! R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi is also here? What could have ever possessed them to come to this?" K'aashi exclaimed.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing she's blond, with hazel eyes, very beautiful, and had good intentions by inviting them. However, those good intentions may backfire because I know her father can't be around my father without picking a fight, and the same goes for Graa'nak." Noaa'lan groaned.

"Man, what a night this is going to be," K'aashi said, stuffing his mouth with hors d'oeuvres.

"You said it," Noaa'lan said with a sigh.

"M'aaranik, sometimes I think you can't shock me any more, and then you have to go and prove me wrong!" N'aadija hissed. "We're wanted for crimes against society, and here we are, about to attend one of the largest social gatherings of the year!"

"Don't you see the irony of it all, N'aadija? No one would ever think to look for us here!" M'aaranik said with a smirk.

"You're not the one who has her face plastered all over the skyways of Freedom City!" N'aadija scowled.

"As long as you stick to wearing your mask you'll be fine! There's so much going on here that no one is going to be looking for you. Every man in this room has the primary goal of getting drunk and having a good time," M'aaranik chuckled. "I think we should also get plastered."

"Now hold on! I thought that the reason we were here was to get close to the Narundis!" N'aadija said crossly. "So far someone has been able to identify me perfectly, although I have no idea who that could be because we killed everyone in our way!"

"That's why we need a break from the action. If we keep on inflicting damage on this joke of an empire, someone is bound to trace us. If we lay low, then they'll forget about everything!"

"M'aaranik, you moron, that's some interesting logic! We killed their ambassador! No one is going to stop until we're brought to justice," N'aadija spat.

"I agree with N'aadija on this one. You're a flaming idiot, M'aaranik," Daa'salar muttered.

"How uncharacteristic of you, Daa'salar! Normally it's N'aadija who throws insults in my direction!" M'aaranik said in disbelief.

"That time you really deserved it, boss," Daa'salar said simply.

"Never mind that now! We all should put on our masks, we're getting close to the entrance," M'aaranik said, pulling his ceremonial warrior death mask down over his eyes.

"Amusing, you chose a death mask for this happy occasion. I'm sure that won't attract any attention!" N'aadija scowled.

"I'm sure that once everyone is good and drunk, it will be very funny indeed," M'aaranik chuckled, flashing her a grin.

"Why do I hang out with this guy?" N'aadija muttered to herself as they reached the end of the line.

"Welcome to the Narundi Palace. I hope you all enjoy the festivities tonight," Cel'aanaeus said cheerfully.

"Oh don't worry, we fully intend to, your highness!" M'aaranik exclaimed in an artificial tone. N'aadija gave him a quick elbow and dragged him onto the dance floor.

"You are just too much!" N'aadija scolded. "Everyone here is very suspicious that we'll make an appearance here, and you just act like nothing is wrong!"

"Relax! We just need to blend in!" M'aaranik said, picking her up and sweeping her around in a circle. "Care to dance?"

"Do I have much of a choice?" N'aadija said, stepping in time to the complex rhythm.

The entire ballroom spun around N'aadija, full of vibrant colors as in her dream. Her own movements came at a brisk pace as M'aaranik led her through the complicated dance. She wondered to herself how a man like M'aaranik could have ever learned such a dance. N'aadija was about to ask him when she saw a hauntingly familiar face out of the corner of her eye.

'What the Sith is he doing here? Tell me I'm not dreaming again!' Thought N'aadija. Through the winding maze of people, she caught a glimpse of the dark and mysterious man from her dreams. He hadn't seen her and was chatting with a group of teenagers, but N'aadija could tell it was he from his piercing blue eyes.

'He sure is a lot younger than he was in the dream,' N'aadija thought to herself with a smirk. 'Oh well, why not go up and tempt fate.'

She quickly broke free from the arms of a puzzled M'aaranik and waltzed quickly over to where the young man was standing. She reached out and tapped him on the shoulder, giving him her best seductive smile.

His reaction couldn't have been more amusing, at least according to N'aadija. His eyes just about bugged out of his head when he saw her and he jumped back, slipping on a wet spot on the floor. His arms flailed about helplessly as he fell, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Owwwwww! My butt!" He cried, but then quickly recovered. "Holy Ten'aaha! You're that chick from my dreams! Is this some kind of sick joke? Did Noaa'lan hire you or something to get back at me for all those times I've tattled on him?"

"Not likely. I've been having dreams too, you know," N'aadija said with a grin. "When I saw you I figured I'd have to pay you a visit. However, I thought you'd be a little older. . ."

"Hey, I'm sixteen years old! I'm not that young!" Kahl'aan cried with a scowl. "Why does everyone always treat me like I'm just a kid?"

"Maybe because you act like one?" N'aadija offered, raising her eyebrows at him from behind her mask. "So, who's this Noaa'lan of which you speak?"

"Ha! You must be from out of town! He's only my ugly older brother and the ever-so-righteous crown prince of the Narundi Dynasty," Kahl'aan said making faces in the direction of his brother. N'aadija could see a dark- haired young man frown back at Kahl'aan from across the room. "God, he's a pain in the butt sometimes, with his stupid premonitions!"

"So, you're a Narundi then?" N'aadija said, trying to hide her astonishment.

"Yeah, can't you tell from the extremely gaudy outfit that my parents made me wear?" Kahl'aan snickered. "I hate these stupid galas!"

"I don't know, they can be pretty fun if you like to dance," N'aadija said, offering him her hand. "You do know how to dance, I'm guessing? I would hope that a prince like yourself would be a good dancer!"

"Is that a challenge?" Kahl'aan asked with a grin. "If it is, then I'll have to take you up on that!"

Kahl'aan swept her out onto the dance floor, pulling her into a dip as they went. He grinned at her for a second, and then drew her back upright into his arms. From that point on, N'aadija was completely breathless. He never missed a beat, moving quickly to the intricate music. She followed his lead, and she found herself spinning and stepping in ways she never thought possible just to barely keep up with him. To make matters worse, the music was faster than usual, making it even harder for her.

"Had enough?" Kahl'aan asked, sensing her exhaustion.

"Not on your life!" N'aadija gasped, reluctant to give in to her aching lungs. Kahl'aan responded by picking up the pace a little.

'Oh great, now I'm really going to die!' Thought N'aadija. She was relieved when the song ended shortly thereafter. Suddenly quite giddy, she collapsed into his arms, gasping for breath. Her face rested close to his neck, and she sensed the clean smell of his aftershave.

"Lets get you to a table and get you some water," Kahl'aan said, his voice laced with concern even though he was still laughing. He sat her down at a table with older couples, none of which she recognized. N'aadija lay her head down on the table as Kahl'aan ran off to the refreshment table.

"Hoooo boy! Those princes sure can dance, can't they?" She commented to a lady that was seated next to her, after which she promptly blacked out.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or did I just see you dancing out there Kahl'aan?" K'aashi asked with a huge grin on his face, jabbing his friend's younger brother in the ribs.

"I only did it because she challenged my dancing ability. I took the same dance lessons as you did, Noaa'lan. I just wanted to show her that," Kahl'aan said as he quickly poured a glass of water. "Unfortunately, I think I might have worn her out."

"Speaking of her, isn't that the exotic girl from your dream?" Noaa'lan asked, eagerly awaiting his brother's admission that he wasn't totally crazy when he dreamt up the indigo-haired girl.

"Yes, and she's every bit as attractive in real life as she was in the dream," Kahl'aan said quickly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to her before she passes out!"

Kahl'aan ran over to the table where she was sitting before, only to find another woman sitting where N'aadija once sat. He looked around in confusion, wondering where she could have gone.

"Wake up N'aadija!" M'aaranik cried, splashing water on her face. "You almost allowed them to unmask you, all because you wanted to get reacquainted with some stupid old friend from high school!"

"Huh?" N'aadija muttered groggily. "M'aaranik, where did he go?"

"As I was just saying, you passed out, and I had to hurry you out of there before the boy you were dancing with unmasked you. If that would have happened, then all of the people in this dance hall would have seen this week's most popular wanted ad!"

"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you decided it was a good idea for us to come to this party, dimwit!" N'aadija snapped, sitting up slowly. "Besides, he was a Narundi."

"What's that? That boy you just danced with was one of those disgusting Narundis?" M'aaranik said with a scowl.

"Well, technically, but I truly believe that he might have some potential," N'aadija said, trying to calm M'aaranik's rising anger.

"Potential? How so?" M'aaranik said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Just in the way he carries himself. He has a lot of potential for the dark side of the force. He dislikes his brother, and resents his parents for making him go to these stupid balls."

"N'aadija, my dear, all teenage boys dislike their siblings, and they also don't like it when their parents make them go to adult parties and dress up in pompous costumes just because it's tradition! I can't see how he could be of any use to us." M'aaranik hissed.

"Trust me on this one, I could sense his potential. He might be a good way to undermine the Narundis from the inside," N'aadija said, getting to her feet.

"I hope you're right," M'aaranik said with a sigh.

Kahl'aan searched around him for the mysterious young woman. He didn't even know her name, just that she existed. In the midst of his rushing around looking for her, a strange thought occurred to Kahl'aan.

'Huh, I guess I really do like her if I'm searching for her. Weird." He thought, smiling to himself inside.

His smile quickly melted to a frown as his foot came in contact with something hard. He looked on in horror when he realized that something hard was Graa'nak's shin. The bounty hunter fell in slow motion in Kahl'aan's eyes, landing face first on the dance floor.

"What the Sith was that?" Graa'nak growled as he leapt to his feet. In a heartbeat he whirled around and shoved Kahl'aan against the nearby wall. "You'll pay for that, Narundi!!!" Kahl'aan swallowed hard as Graa'nak drew a long silver dagger from his belt and placed it within an inch of his throat. He wondered if it would do him any good to beg for his life at this point, but right now things looked incredibly bleak for Kahl'aan Narundi.