Beyond - Legends Impulse Of the Moment - Ben is nervous on a first date. ~ Victorian Quote Challenge [Complete! ]

Victorian Quote Challenge

My quote was 40. "I am a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man!"
~ Wilkie Collins ?The Woman in White?

Setting: Coruscant, 4 years after LOTF
Summary: Ben Skywalker has faced several battles in his life. But on this day, he faces his greatest challege: a date with a beautiful girl.
Author's note: This is a continuation of my story One Request, but it is not required for you to read with this. (unless you want to; here's the link: One Request (If you want to give me a review on that one, you'll have to PM me since it's locked.)
I was given one quote but was also given the challenge of using a 2nd quote, since I requested one from Oscar Wilde. And I went a few steps further. The entire context of the story is written in Victorian style. I so wanted to put this in a script font but found I could not. And to bring it up to another level, I've added a part of a 3rd quote hidden.
But, alas, it is time to push on. Enjoy and review as you see fit.

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Impulse of the Moment


Part I: The Preparation


"Where is my other shirt?" Ben Skywalker yelled the question from his bedroom. The haste in his voice was quite evident.

In answer to his question, his cousin, Jaina, replied with a question of the same validity. "Did you mean this black one here?"

Ben had burst into the living room of his obscure yet quaint flat while carrying no less than four shirts that were still resting on their respective hangers. He was presently dressed only in dark slacks and a white undershirt. The embarrassment between he and his cousin was nonexistent. Because of a tragedy they had both encountered four years before, their pain was forged into a close relationship. Ben bellowed a sigh of disgust. "Every item of clothing I possess is black. I seriously doubt how my father can manage with such a limited amount of color to his apparel."

"Part of his nature, I suppose. Here then, are some of those not black?"

"Yes, of course. But what does one think of when one wears this?" He held up one of the outfits up to his neckline.

Jaina answered, almost snickering, "Bounty hunter."

"Naturally. And this?" He switched to another shirt.

Jaina hesitated before she said with more humor, "CORSEC Security Officer."

"Exactly my point. I own nothing of a festive nature."

"Oh, come now. What of that creme-colored shirt?"

"It is missing a button."

"That is hardly a dilemma. Go ahead and put it on....that's it...now, put this black one over it. See, the missing button is obscured by the darker shirt. Then, you pull the lighter shirt's collar out like so...and now you are presentable."

"I suppose you wish me say all I needed was a woman's touch."

"My dear cousin, I've been trying to tell you that for years."

"Well, for all of your prodding, I may have found the one."

"We shall see." She looked at him up and down. "My, you have the look of a gentleman."

"I, dear cousin, am no gentleman."

"Oh? Then what are you?"

"At this moment, I am a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man."

"That is preposterous. Why should you be nervous on an occasion such as this? Surely, you have endured many battles and, hence, you were not nervous then."

"Ah, but the difference, cousin Jaina, is that my battle tonight will consist of the wit and wooing of the female gender. I know not of any man who hath survived such a battle unscathed."

"Yes. Especially when the female is the daughter of their enemy."

Ben frowned and his voice lowered. "Now, Jaina, we've discussed this. Ambri was simply a byproduct of Lumiya's lack of funds. Lumiya pleaded with me to give the message to her daughter. As I've stated to you, I had never experienced Shira Brie with as much emotion as when she spoke about her lost daughter."

"So, you have no qualms about courting a woman who possesses the same genes as the fiend wh

 

Hehe, I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.


"Perhaps she does. Yet, she had not been given the same set of choices as her mother either. My father also had the same traits as his father, Darth Vader. The differences in each case were their choices, would they not?"

Someone pointing out the differences between choices and abilities? Our little Ben sounds like Dumbledore.

 

JediMara77 - Someone pointing out the differences between choices and abilities? Our little Ben sounds like Dumbledore. Ben is four years older in this so he could have matured so much since LOTF. Thanks for reading and commenting!


Mira_Jade - I'm not going to use the Victorian language here. Been writing it on Part II which will be posted soon. And I'll PM you.

The "I, dear cousin, am no gentleman," are my own words, but what an honor it was to have you think that I could write as well as Oscar Wilde!

As far as the third quote, I will ask you, what is foremost in every story we read? Thanks for your kind words.

 

You got a quote from one of my all-time favorite books, funny enough! And I think you did it justice.
I love Victorianese, and I applaud you for being able to write in it! I can see Ben being like this on his first date, and wonderful choice of girl, too!

 

SithGirl132 - You got a quote from one of my all-time favorite books, funny enough! And I think you did it justice.
I love Victorianese, and I applaud applause you for being able to write in it! I can see Ben being like this on his first date, and wonderful choice of girl, too!

Glad I can accommodate! And this Victorianese is not easy to keep up. I had to drag my Thesaurus out for some words! And thanks for liking the choice of girl, who is an OC of mine. I should say that this is also an AU of sorts bc Lumiya is still alive (in other words, Luke wasn't boneheaded enough to delve into the dark side to kill her)
Behold, the second part awaits. And truth be told, I can't wait to speak Southern again like one of my first OC's, Mary Jane Skyler.

Thanks for reading!

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Part II: The Moment


Ambri Shira L'Gia.

Ben had repeated her name several times since he had learned it. Her name rolled off his tongue like an exquisite fruit. He would dare not say that he fell in love upon his first sight of her. Whatever the feeling was, he only knew that it contained a passion which he had yet to define.

He arrived at her floor where her suite was at The Diplomat, which was Coruscant's high-rise hotel in the Plains District. As he walked down the hallway, he felt as if he were floating on repulsors. He was experiencing a new emotion combining nervousness and glee. When he finally reached the suite door that prevented him from seeing her, his knees seemed like they could go out from under him. He chimed the door and, after a fashion, the door clicked open.

And there she was.

His breath paused for mere seconds upon sight of Ambri Shira L'Gia. She wore an elegant soft blue gown that flowed down her slender body. The dress was cut in a way that allowed her shoulders to be exposed to reveal her cream-white skin. Her strawberry-blonde hair hung loosely just above her neckline. He made note that the color was so much less red than her mother's.

Would that be the only difference between mother and daughter, as Jaina had disputed? Ben did not care. Ambri's hair color was another way that made her unlike her mother.

She stood before him, staring at his open mouth. "Ben Skywalker, I presume. You have the same features as the one who came into my house on Borealis a fortnight ago. You have yet to show the same temperament of that individual."

Ben could only mimic sound at that point. "Uh...um..."

"Hmm, I see that your speech has escaped you. Or has an Ewok taken off with your tongue?"

"No, milady," Ben finally found his voice to say. "My words were merely catching up to the sight of your beauty."

Her face showed signs of fluster and she smiled.

O' to melt within that smile, Ben thought.

She spoke to suggest, "Well, unless you plan for us to dine within the hallway, might I propose that you come inside first?"

?Perhaps that would be best,? Ben stated as he waltzed inside. She stood aside so he could enter and, as he passed her, the whiff of her fragrant perfume filled his nostrils with pure joy. As she closed the front door, he came forward into the suite and was overwhelmed by it?s sheer expansive size. He noted, ?Why, this place could house my flat three times over.?

?Have you not used these accommodations before??

?Not in the least. My duties precede my time for luxury.?

?Then how is it you found time enough to secure this suite for myself??

?My connections over time have benefited me immensely. I only wanted the best for you.?

?Ah, but the best does not always translate into the most expensive.?

?How truthful you are.? Ben eased over to the wide transparisteel window that overlooked the multicolored bustling traffic of Coruscant. ?What a view.?

She positioned herself to stand parallel to his left shoulder but kept her distance. She replied with a sense of anticipation, ?That, it is.?

Ben looked skyward and remarked, ?I am thankful for the clouds to part ways enough to not allow rain tonight.?

She scoffed and said sourly, ?Pray don't ta

 

That was rather entertaining. I've never really enjoyed Victorian style Fics but this was pretty good.

 

mrjop2 - Thanks for reading and reviewing.


Mira_Jade - I have to applaud you for being able to pull off the Victorianess for quite a long piece of writing. Kudos for that!
T'is not easy to keep the Victorian manner of speaking through a whole story. It's not a full translation of that era's writing because if it was it would be 5x longer. It always seemed to take the Victorian writers a few paragraphs just to describe one thing.


"Pray don't talk to me about the weather. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me so nervous.?

Perfect sneaking that in!

For those not in the know, I originally asked for a Oscar Wilde quote, but got another. Mira_Jade gave me an alternate quote from Wilde but challenged me to use both. I did. the above quote is from Oscar Wilde from "The Importance of Being Earnest".

And I went even further and added a third quote somewhere hidden and my challenge to readers is to find it anywhere in the story. I already informed Mira_Jade.