A Well Earned Vacation (Anija)

[Arrbi Betna]

The cafe had been worth it. Warm food, good behot, and good company after a mostly well rested night made a galaxy of a difference. After months of catching sleep where they could, spending nights in the cockpits of starfighters, or sleeping in cots at various Protector barracks, a nice night at home and good food the morning of was a wonderful change of pace.

After breakfast they'd made their way over to the spaceport for their liner out of the system. Not many luxury liners ran out of Mandalore, most Mandalorians didn't bother with such things and traveled with their own ships if they had them, but there was some tourism in parts of Mandalore which meant a few liner services operated locally. They boarded the ship easily and quickly enough which made things fast and simple for them. They got a few looks from some of the security personnel for the bags holding their armor and weapons, but after showing identification and the simple fact that they were, indeed, Mandalorians, they were let on board. Betna was sure that security would watch them a little closer than the others, but considering that the couple were carrying heavier armor and weapons than most of the ship's armory combined... at least they wouldn't have to worry about pirates or criminals.

Their cabin was... a little more fancy than Betna had expected, but it was still very nice. It was an odd change of pace and the frills and expensive decorations made Betna feel a little out of place there, but he figured that was probably how vacations were supposed to go. He set their luggage down, smoothed the front of his tunic and turned to his wife.

"So... a little fancier than I though, but that's okay," he said with a wide grin.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

There was one thing to be said for a decent cup of behot. Well, several things. But most important was that it helped Anija feel more like herself. Most days, she had to make it quickly or skip it entirely. And she found that having a fresh cup gave her mental clarity early in the morning. And of all the days she wanted that clarity, today was definitely among them.

Their trip to the spaceport was rather uneventful, but their extra luggage raised a few eyebrows as they passed through security. She shrugged mentally. It was par for the course with being Mandalorian. And, she wouldn't trade her culture for anything. She knew that parts of the Mandalore system was open to tourism. Feth, she'd helped sponsor some of the eftorts. And, it brought some good income for the Mandalorians beyond what they brought in with the sales from their various companies.

These thoughts ran through her mind as she followed [member="Arrbi Betna"] and the steward towards their cabin. Surprisingly, they'd been allowed to keep their gear with them instead of stowing it in the liner's cargo hold. She stepped inside, and had to shake her head at Arrbi's comment. "Hey, we're here to enjoy ourselves... and that means.. a few luxuries we normally don't have..." Guiding her antigrav locker towards the bulkhead, she positioned it carefully before engaging the maglocks to lock it into place. "Besides, it's well worth it..." she whispered as she moved away from the cabin's control console after having a look at it.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"Oh, aye," agreed Betna with a grin as he began unpacking a bit. He stored some clothes here and there and put his toiletries in the cabin's bathroom. A few other essentials found their way into various areas and the rest of the luggage was easily stowed away.

Once done, he took a seat in one of the chairs provided in the room and picked up a pamphlet on the adjacent table. The bit of folded flimsi was brightly colored and listed a variety of events and activities occurring on board at various times and days. He flipped to one or two of the more brightly colored pages and skimmed through a few options.

"Looks like... There's a live band and dinner thing going on later tonight, though I've never heard of the band," he said after a moment. "They've also got a... I think it's a sort of meet and greet thing? That's going on tomorrow for lunch. Then a formal dinner thing that night. Lots of really... fancy stuff going on... Though they do have a bar. I think they're trying to aim for a rustic feel what with all the posh events and dinners. Looks like they went for a more... homey thing. Fake wooden walls and benches and the like. Looks like the go-to for most things. Couple of other things going on around the ship, though. Oh, and a shuffleboard court, whatever that is."

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Arrbi Betna"]

She raised an eyebrow at the last comment. "Can't say I've heard of whatever that is...." she said softly as she moved around the cabin unpacking a few of her own things. All things considered, she was rather...particular about how her things were arranged. She finished her unpacking by tucking a small holdout blaster under the edge of the mattress on the side of the double bunk where she usually slept. At his look, she shrugged. "One can never be too careful..."

That done, she moved to lean against the edge of the table before looking over his shoulder at the pamphlet he was reading. "I kinda like the sound of the live music. It'll be something... different. Though, I'm not really sure I have the right attire for most of the... events." she sighed dramatically and then giggled. "Though, there might be something in what we bought before we left..."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

And people think Mandalorian men were bad about weapons, was Betna's only thought at Anija's holdout blaster.

"Well, it looks like whatever the dinner thing tonight is, it's not fully formal. I think I have a tunic and pants that should be okay. I doubt our armor would fit the occasion, though I'll bet it gets us faster seating," he said with a grin. "Let's see... That's around 18:00 standard time. After that we could head up to the topmost decks. Apparently they have an entire deck dedicated to sightseeing. Full transparisteel walls from floor to ceiling."

Sure, they'd seen space before, even been out in it with their armor, but it was a somewhat different experience to do it outside of armor or a starfighter. Especially when one didn't have to keep an eye on sensors and gauges for enemy contacts half the time.

"In the meantime, we can explore a bit if you'd like. I'm sure we can find something to do between now and that dinner event. Maybe go see what that shuffle-thing is," he said, his tone curious. It sounded like a pointless aruetii game, but who knew? Maybe it was a variant of a game he was familiar with.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Arrbi Betna"]

Shaking her head slightly, Anija grinned as she caught the general line of his thought. It amused her. But then, Ordo wouldn't have been a proper Mandalorian buir if he hadn't raised her how he had. And so, she carried weapons... even in places one might think they weren't needed. With the state of the galaxy these days, there was no telling what might happen. "You know, I don't think I know what shuffleboard is. Sounds like some wierd sport of some kind... I don't know.." She shrugged. "Anyways...Let's go check that out, and then maybe go do some sightseeing. I would like to get a view of the stars through something other than a starfighter canopy for a change.." With that said, she tucked a small holdout blaster into a holster against the small of her back before draping her tunic back over it.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"Works for me," he said with a grin. He didn't even bother trying to hide the glance he shot at her rear end when she hid the blaster. "Investigate the shuffleboard... thing and then hit up some of the observation decks. A good plan."

With that he subtly patted his own hidden holster as he stood up and made his way to the door. Sure, a holdout blaster would fit more snugly than his old .44 revolver would, but sometimes you just needed that extra... punch. Besides, he'd carried the thing so long that it felt odd not having it and since the tunic covered the weapon itself and it was hard to see, he figured it was worthwhile.

He stopped at the door and offered an arm to his wife with a grin.

"Shall we?"

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Arrbi Betna"]

After a moment to catch his eye, she smiled and slid her arm into his. "Let's go see what this shuffleboard thing is all about.." she said softly, lightly draping her fingers over his arm as they stepped out of their cabin. She had to admit, the ship they were on, while not overly large, was rather nice. It was definitely cleaner and more spacious than other ways she'd traveled over the years. Pausing for a moment to consult the holobrochure, she pointed the way towards the deck where the shuffleboard was. When they got there, she frowned slightly, noticing the lines painted on the decking. In fact, there were several sets of them, so multiple groups could play at a time, it seemed.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"So, apparently," he said after watching others play the game for a few moments. "The idea is to use a sort of... stick to shove these little disc things down a lane and onto a target. From the looks of things, I guess the idea is to keep as many of your own discs on the target while... I think knocking your opponent's discs off?"

He glanced around and then again at the pamphlet in his hand. As far as he could tell, that was how the game was played. It didn't make much sense to him, honestly. Why shove a disc down a path? What purpose did the game have?

Then again, most would probably ask the same question about most Mandalorian games, he figured. With a mental shrug, he pocketed the pamphlet and thought a moment. He snaked a hand around and quickly poked his wife in the side with a sly grin. Usually, she jumped and swatted him, but it was worth it. Half because it was all good fun for the two of them and half because... well, she was wearing something that he'd enjoy seeing her jump in.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Arrbi Betna"]

"Seems like that's the goal.." she frowned slightly as she studied the board's layout. It confused the feth out of her still. "I.. don't think I'd be very good at it..?" She continued to watch those who were playing for a few more minutes. "I still don't get it.." she muttered in his direction. It was then that she felt him jab her sharply in the ribs. Instinctively, she stiffened, and then jumped slightly before twisting to try and grab his wrist.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Betna grinned widely at his wife as she grabbed his wrist. The married life was fun and enjoyable for the two of them and, honestly, he couldn't ask for anything better.

He glanced around a bit and noticed that not far off was a pool and, beyond that, a set of steamed glass doors. A moment of thought passed as he scratched at his cheek before a decision was made. Betna pulled his wife close and pecked her on the lips lovingly before jerking a head in the direction he'd been looking.

"I know we were going to roam around and see what's going on, but," he said with a grin. "I think I just found the sauna. Want to go and relax a bit in the steam?"

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

As Arrbi pulled her to him, Anija found herself relaxing in his arms. Truth be told, she was really enjoying their honeymoon. Sure, it was a bit off-the-cuff and spontaneous, but she really didn't care. The rest of her life was busy enough as it was. Closing her eyes, she returned the kiss lightly before laying her head against his shoulder. "That... sounds like an excellent idea..." she replied softly as she laced her fingers with his. Her other hand absently smoothed her skirt a time or two as they made their way across the deck and along the outskirts of the shuffleboard courts. Apparently, a lot of people enjoyed the game, because the deck was rather crowded.

Once they'd reached the other side of the deck, Anija relaxed again. She'd never been overly fond of large crowds, and with very good reason. Arrbi and Ordo knew why, certainly. But it wasn't something that she preferred to become public knowledge among the vode. Shaking her head at the thought to try and dislodge it from her mind, Anija sighed softly as they reached the doors to the sauna. She squeezed Arrbi's hand for a moment, and then reached out to pull open the old-fashioned manual door. "Ready...?" she asked, grinning at him before stepping inside.


[member="Arrbi Betna"]

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"Always," came the reply as Betna grinned widely.

The inside was a simple lobby or atrium of sorts. A few doors led from the small room and from the steam and condensation on the inside of the glass, those were the actual saunas. A pair of small closet-like rooms stood nearby and Betna made his way over to open the door. Inside was a small bench tucked in the corner and a few clothing hooks lined one wall.

"Okay, so this is a changing room," he said as he closed the door. He gestured at some cubbies with locks along one wall. "And I think you put your things there. I'm guessing fresh towels are put in each one so you trade out when you use them."

He opened one of the cubbies and pulled out a pair of towels. He unfolded one and handed it to his wife before taking the other one.

"Seems simple enough," he said with a chuckle as he headed to one of the changing rooms.

[member="Anija Betna"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Arrbi Betna"]

Anija watched him with an amused chuckle. Admittedly, this was probably the first time she'd ever been to a sauna - let alone on a cruise. She was glad he was figuring stuff out, because right now she was feeling a bit lost. She took the towel from him and draped it over her shoulder as she stepped into and adjacent changing room. It didn't take her long to change. Carefully folding her clothes, she then wrapped the towel around herself. That done, she then picked up her clothes and stepped back out of the changing room.

Sadly, there wasn't much of a place to hide a blaster when all you were wearing was a fluffy towel. that thought made her grin slightly as she stepped back out into the atrium and placed her clothing into the same cubby Arrbi had gotten the towels from. As she turned around from doing that, she spotted Arrbi. He had a towel wrapped around his waist now. She took a moment to lean up on her toes and kiss him deeply. "You look good.." she whispered. Slipping her fingers into his, she led the way towards one of the sauna rooms.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Changing was simple, quick, and easy. The wearing of just a towel was a little awkward, but he figured it would pass in time. He stepped out and spotted his wife putting her clothes in the bin and he followed suit, sneaking a peak at her derriere in doing so. Satisfied everything was put away appropriately and locked up, he turned to face Anija and grinned at her comment and kiss.

"Me? You should look at you, dear," he said smiling. Before he could do much more than that, however, she took his hand and pulled him into the sauna room. As the door closed behind them, he felt it almost... symbolically. It represented a change for him. A change in his life and in his future and he welcomed it gladly.

[member="Anija Betna"]