Private Eternal Flame [ Centrality ]

[Makai Dashiell]

"I think a week will do you some good., like you said, it will be good practice. We can hammer out the details soon."

Makai figured a weekend wouldn't be enough. Ellie wouldn't knock the wheels off Arceneau in a week and he could handle both girls, working with Salacia and Aina when they were busy doing lessons with their governess. Details could be easily figured out in the coming weeks, knowing they had to get through his father coming back first.

Looking at his intelli-chrono, Danger Arceneau was right. Ellie should be wrapping up with her evening routine. Now it would be time to face another round of questioning, ones he probably had no answers for. Or, worse yet, Ellie would want to talk about what their plan was for when Judah did return and how would that go. It wasn't something he was looking forward diving into.

"You're right, I better go before the future Mrs. Dashiell has realized I've absconded into the night. No need for any travelling liquor, I'll just have two glasses of wine tonight. Not wise to mix alcohols but I can deal with that in the morning. Thanks for everything, if you need us just amble on over. Night"

Makai stood and stretched a little, kissing Danger on the cheek before leaving. Time to face the real interrogator of the Arceneau family.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger gave Makai Dashiell a warm, motherly smile. A the brush of his cheek against hers, the redhead brought her hand up and gave his cheek a gentle pat and also a kiss in turn against it.

"Always happy for the conversation, Makai. Love you," she murmured, her feline green eyes softening as she stared up at the grown-up version of the little boy that stole her heart so many years ago.

"You grew up to be a fine young man." she added, giving a soft chuckle.

"Now go on now, lest Myra come huntin' after you."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah was diverted to the Scillal System, checking out the shipyards before arriving. Running into an old rival, he had further been delayed, but lucky managed to make it out in one piece. Making the deal for a manufacturing space despite the challenges, Judah was delayed by a day and several hours, considering his estimated original arrival time in his head. As far as he knew, no one was expecting him beyond his last message that he would be coming to join the family.

Which created a problem. It was late, well past normal business hours, most sentients would be winding down for the evening unless they were on some type of second or third shift. Judah could tell there was such a shift ; just with less staff. If he had to guess the station most likely relied on a lot of droid labor during these hours with a human being the supervisor throughout the night. All fine and well, it was especially difficult to obtain workers, even more difficult to get them to uproot their lives for years and take work on a space station.

Myra Arceneau Dashiell had sent word he had two new personal assistants. Given the hour of day, Judah automatically knew both wouldn't be around to call upon. Sure, there was the potential to wake them up, but he thought that elitist and just the wrong way to start off a new relationship with the men. Instead, ship securely in the hangar, he set off on his own to find the Arceneau and Dashiell clan.

It was easy to navigate to the residential area, bag slung over his shoulder as he walked. Dressed in a grey suit, no one paid him any attention as he navigated, most likely assuming he was someone coming back in from one of the systems for the day. Having the penthouse number from the package he was sent, it was merely figuring out the numbering system of the flats before finding the one he needed.

Typically he would have waited til morning, but Judah didn't know where he was staying. Made it a bit difficult, so he would have to bother Danger Arceneau and company.

Finding the right door, Judah rapt his knuckles on the durasteel instead of ringing the doorbell, aware people may be asleep.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger had just finished a quick holo-comm call and on her way back to the family area where the kids were all watching the second film of the Perry Cooper holoseries when she heard the rap. Considering she had been on a slight edge when Judah Dashiell decided to show up at the station, she made it a point to check with station security for anyone who may look like Judah.

Leave it to the old Salvager to manage to bypass that and end up at their front door. With a sigh, Danger let her feline emerald fire gaze peer at the small security holoscreen that would show who was right outside their door.

Unwilling to alarm the kids, Danger decided it was best to handle this on her own. A press of a button, and the door would slide open with a silent hiss. There, beholding the swarthy visage of an even tanner Judah Dashiell, was the Queen of Trade herself. She wore a pale blue button-up cashmere sweater with a sky-blue pencil skirt that complemented her vibrant red hair. It fell in soft waves down her shoulders and back. Casual, flattering, hugged every curve.

Her countenance spoke volumes, captivating attention effortlessly. A delicate raise of her brow followed by a soft sigh piqued curiosity. "Well, I'm relieved to see you've arrived unscathed," Danger began, her voice smooth as molasses, careful not to disturb the peaceful slumber of the children. Gratefully, Persie had adjusted the volume to drown out any potential disturbance. Those feline green eyes would level a survey from the top of that peppered shaggy head with its combed back hair, scruffy face, simple suit, and bag slung over his shoulder.

Danger read him. As she had years and months passed. The only difference is that the survey now held a certain level of uncertainty. New facest that shone up the past few months were hard to discern under the light of day or prying eyes. On the surface, still the same, if a bit tanner and a little more fit than before. Must have been all those nerf calf wrangling under the Salaucami sun.

"Hello, Judah. Good to see you're lookin' well." She opened the door for him to enter, only to murmur, "Kids are watchin' a show, I can show you to your room if'n you lookin' to get your rest."

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| Dress x & x | x | x | x | x | x |
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[Judah Dashiell]

He was almost a bit startled when Danger Arceneau answered the door. He had expected one of those protocol droids or perhaps Makai be the one answering, not the Trade Queen herself. Judah could tell the woman immediately set out surveying him,those green eyes taking in his form, looking for wounds both visible and invisible. If there was anyone that could see through him, it was her.

"Danger, hello."

A small pause as he did his own survey of the redhead. She looked comfortable, casual, as if the time with the kids was suiting her. Gone was some of the grief, some of the mask she was wearing after the death of Alric. Naturally the woman would still be in mourning, but it appeared to him she was slowly finding her new normality in this universe.

"Thank you. You're looking well yourself."

At the mention of the room, Judah stepped to the side to allow Danger to exit the penthouse suite. Then immediately frowned when she did the same, as if allowing him inside. Brows furrowed, clearly confused by the action. Dark blue eyes looked past Danger into the well designed space, then down the hall to a series of doors containing living quarters, down the corridor which he just came. Finally, gaze rested back on the redhead.

"You...uh, can just tell me the room number and the door code. I don't need to be enterin'. Its late and I can find my way around so I won't be disturbing you or the kids..."

The salvager still took in her body language. She was inviting him in but that was just a formality, right? Danger was always keen on taking care of her guests, and since he just arrived, perhaps she wanted to offer a drink or at least go through the motions of being cordial. He didn't quite understand her intent of inviting him in, and it shown all across his features.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

They appeared to be confusing each other for a few moments before Danger expressed understanding. Ah, right, she mused. He likely expected to have his own suite much like at the farm.

Her hand swept once again to gesture for him to enter, adding quietly, "Your room is inside. Ain't gonna place you in a different housin' when you an stay just fine in a room here." it should click then for Judah. Judah Dashiell wasn't that thick in the head.

"You'll be stayin' with us until you get your bearin's on what you are plannin' to do." she clarified quietly. His dawning expression was enough to indicate that it wasn't the sort of set up he'd been expecting.

"What? AIn't like you didn't live with us at the farm as well, Judah. This ain't no different."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Expression paled just a little, Danger Arceneau was keen to pick up on it as well too. While they certainly did live together on The Farm, the "house" was a massive castle with everyone spread out. He had his floor, the playroom for the kids was practically a ballroom.

Here it was a massive penthouse, that much he could tell already. There was plenty of space to spread out and be comfortable ; nothing like what he stayed in on Celestia Station. Yet it was still rather confined in comparison to them all staying together.

Not as if he could go hiding out in nerf fields.

So Judah squared his shoulders and schooled his expression into one of neutrality.

"Right." Tone was equally hushed. While he could hear a movie on he wasn't sure who was asleep or trying to conduct business. "A good plan."

Stepping in, he awkwardly stood in the receiving area as the door shut behind him. He was quiet, following Danger without a word. It was clear he was unsure of his place and was defaulting to merely observing the situation. Eyes took in the home, surprised to find it so decorated as it was. Everything from holos of everyone in frames to a colorful geode that he knew Makai must have somehow weaseled in.

"How are things?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Oh, he was as comfortable as a bantha in a cantina, Danger mused, choosing to keep her amusement to herself with a well-practiced hum of agreement that it was a good plan.

She led the way, her full-hip slow swagger not as pronounced without her signature S.I.N. heels. She was barefoot, the oxymoron of the day, considering what she was wearing.

"Well, kids are watchin' some Jedi Hoodoo Academy holo series that follows some kid," she relayed, moving down the hall away from the family entertainment room Myra, Makai, Persie, and Rue were currently engrossed in—with a few peanut gallery commentary about punching Jedi now and then, only for Persie to hiss at him to be quiet so they could listen.

"Myra and Makai will be headin' over towards Erilnar -- Makai to check up on the status of the headquarters while Myra looks into what is required to detoxify the rest of the sections of the planet and what will need terraforming to restore the planet's ecosystem."

Once again, the relaying of how things were on the business end.

"Persie and Rue are gettin' on with their studies with the governesses. Otherwise, just takin' it one day at a time what with what is going on in the Core Worlds between the Alliance and the Dark Empire," she swung a left towards a open atrium area before leading him towards where the guest bedrooms lay.

A glance back at him with those piercing green eyes, "How about you?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Headquarters?"

Judah was out of the loop on both the business and family front. It was going to take awhile to get up to speed on everything. Perhaps the evening should be spent digging through his holomail and trying to piece together what was happening. It was evident in the morning he was going to have to interact with the family as a whole immediately and he didn't want to stumble through completely. The personal side of things would be difficult enough.

He listened carefully, noticing one thing ; Danger Arceneau didn't mention a thing about herself. This was fair. Their last interactions hadn't gone well, through no fault of the Trade Queen. There was a debate if he should call her out, to re-ask about herself, but Judah ultimately decided that was unwise at the moment. There was no need to quarrel about something so trivial.

"Me?"

He paused, taking his eyes off the surroundings and landing on Danger once again. He paused, debating on which direction to go in. Judah reminded himself he was supposed to be putting his best foot forward. Supposed to be like the Judah from decades ago.

"Nervous...but...I'll be fine."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Yes, Makai and Myra have been working on establishing a local headquarters not only for Salacia, but Aina Holdings as well as MaraTibx and Arceneau Trade." honestly, it only made sense considering the years that the companies will be working at rebuilding the region.

"With the extent of the rebuildin' and processes we'll need to get things back in order, it will save costs in the long run to have a local base of operations," she added, guiding Judah Dashiell to a wide double door. It had its own key code for privacy - Persie had a bad tendency of storming into rooms.

Danger pressed the code and the doors slid open with a silent hiss, revealing an expansive room with a king-sized bed, decorated in neutral tones, with a lovely view of the man-made forest, its lake, and the arc of space overhead. It had its own ensuite, allowing a measure of privacy when it came to needing to freshen up. It certainly wasn't an entire floor for Judah, but it was comfortable enough to spread his legs and even have a small office setting by one of the larger windows.

"Well, reckon the nervous part is on track. " Danger admitted, "Makai and Myra wake up early, so that would be the time you'll likely see them tomorrow if you keep to your early hours. You'll have at least two hours or more before Persie and Rue wake up. Makai is the one who likes to make breakfast for all, but if they stay up late watchin' this show, odds are it may be only Makai who gets up early."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Oh, okay."

Even if he wanted to object, seemed as if the project was too far along to give any insights into. Especially if Makai was going to be heading off tomorrow to inspect progress on the buildings. There were no objections on his end, he did leave the company in his son's hands without any direction. From what he could tell Makai was busy re-structuring the company within his own vision, as if he didn't expect for his return. Or maybe Makai just made life easier for himself, again, he would have to slowly delve into that subject on his own before speaking upon it.

"Never known Myra to be an early riser."

Judah had taken care of the girl enough to know the change had to be for his son. Surprising, in his opinion. Yet he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut ; a part of his journey, learning to pick and choose when to voice his opinions on things. It wasn't any different than he was in the past, before his famously long patience had snapped.

He entered the room, being more than he expected. A room with a small bed would have suited him just fine. There was a heavy awareness he was intruding on an already well-established dynamic. Bag was placed on the bed, slipping out of his jacket and placing it on the bed. Judah decided he would probably sit in one of the chairs and relax a little, there was a thoughtfully placed bottle of whisky and two glasses. No doubt from Danger Arceneau , a gift or her own way of welcoming him to the station.

Or not. Maybe it had just been there.

"Care to join me for a nightcap? Or do you have an early morning as well?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Well, with the girls around, mornin's seem to be the few times the pair have uninterrupted time with each other. They don't seem to mind." They honestly didn't. From what she saw, they enjoyed having an early breakfast and caf together before Persie and Rue woke up to liven up the morning or start a new presentation proposal on some fashion item.

Danger stepped to the side to allow Judah to walk in, watching him quietly as he took scope of the room. There was still a line of tension running through him, that much she could tell. His internal musings that the whiskey and glasses was there for him due to Danger was correct. While Judah Dashiell had told her to mind her own business when it came to his personal life or how he lived it, it didn't mean she was just going to ignore what she typically knew the old salvaged would want to relax. He'd find a pack of cigarillos on the desk in a small personalized humidifier as well, should he look.

However, as for the invite...

Danger stood, quietly mulling over the invite for the briefest of seconds. Should she? On one had the two glasses would have indicated that she did so for the purpose of drinking with him. On the other, she honestly wasn't sure if she wanted to get into another potential tiff with Judah the first night he was here. For all that he might have done during his sabbatical, Danger wasn't privy to what was his state of mind nor if he was as easy to raise his hackles as he had before.

Easy does as easy goes, one would say; however, telling him no if he had made the request as a friend who needed someone to talk to would be remiss of her, considering all he did for her when Alric passed.

Her auburn head gave a slight cant and she decided might as well ask, "Reckon that depends on what the nightcap is for and what you need of me? You need someone to talk to or someone to fill you in on what else has been going on while you've been gone? "

 

[Judah Dashiell]

To be honest, Judah didn't even expect Danger Arceneau to even consider the nightcap. Brow furrowed at her phrasing. His head tilted slightly, studying her. The old salvager didn't know where to turn or go now, he felt as if he was walking a narrow path and was having difficulty navigating, as if he slipping constantly and having to stop and regain his footing.

"I...I don't want anything from you, you've already done enough Danger."

Weariness crept into his voice. Hand came up and ran a hand through his shaggy hair, unsure of what to say next. He was trying to figure out where to go from here on out. Maybe he was pushing his luck and moving too fast, trying to force normalcy back on something that wasn't normal anymore. Expecting something to feel the same when it wasn't.

"Maybe another day. I'm not going anywhere, we can take a raincheck on the nightcap."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"I...I don't want anything from you, you've already done enough Danger."

Ah, the same train of thought of before, Danger thought to herself, giving a mental sigh but only expressing every semblance of cordial understanding and empathy. She was good at it after all.

The only difference being in this case was that before, she'd insist, ask if Judah Dashiell was sure. Read the lines in between, the tension in between his eyes, the line of his broad shoulders, the way lines over his forehead would slightly knit and know there was more.

This time, she didn't.

Instead, she gave a slow nod, not seeking to intrude. To leave Judah with his space, thoughts, and anxiety to weather and mull over on his own. It would be one thing if he asked; another if he didn't request it. He made it clear he didn't want fretting from her, so she wouldn't give it to him. It was out of respect for their friendship and for the fact that their children were to be wed in less than a few months' time.

"Alright. Get some rest. There's plenty of food in the conservator if you'd like to take a bite later on. Caf on the pot on demand." She let him know of what was available for him should he decide.

"If you feel like wanderin', there's a key card on the desk that you can use to get in and out of the house. Huila station is big; lots of things to do. The nearby park and forest have some nice walkin' trails that go around the lake."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

In order to accommodate his running schedule, Makai learned to wake up even earlier, about an hour before he was used to. When they first moved moved into the station he had tried running in the afternoon, even took Persephone. That had been a disaster but squeezing in the time when he had worked an entire full day with both companies, staring down making dinner and spending time with the girls, then more potential work in the evening just made squeezing everything into his schedule far too difficult. Sacrifices had to be made and sleep was one of those.

This morning was brutal though. He had stayed up late watching the Perry Cooper, boy Jedi holoseries. It wasn't his cup of tea but it had been family movie night and finding something a varied age range could agree on was difficult. Besides, he had ended up dozing in and out by ten in the evening, the plot not enough to hold off sleep. Ellie had mentioned the night before she was sleeping in, which meant his was staring down a morning alone, maybe he could get a jump start on Erilnar and working before it got too chaotic.

The smell of caf hit him as he entered the suite, eyebrow perking. He was sweaty and clad in only some really short, bright blue shorts, wandering through the suite towards the kitchen. He didn't speak until he got close enough,there was no need to loudly call out and wake up everyone, especially if he didn't want to listen to a fashion presentation two hours before it typically happened.

"I thought you were sleeping in? Changed your mind? Are we leaving for Erilnar together?" Makai popped around the wall separating the kitchen from the living room space. "Ells, you're..."

Words were cut off, not finding his fiancee but his father instead. Both stared at one another, silent for a long time. Makai was the first one to break it, broad shoulders squaring, as if to steel himself for what was to potentially came his way.

"Good morning. Didn't know you made it in."

Judah stayed on his side of the counter, caf mug in hand. Eyebrow quirked at Makai's attire, or lack thereof.

"Good morning. Late last night, I wasn't trying to interrupt movie night." Hand gestured towards his sons chest, as if to put emphasis on what he was about to say. "You got a shirt or something?"

"In our room,but I'm not waking Ellie to get a shirt. You kind of interrupted my routine so....this is what you get until she wakes up." Makai moved to get his Dac Dodgers caf mug, thoughtfully gifted to him by Rue. She had a matching one that she drank milk out of, the half-Galan thinking it cute that she tried hard to emulate him. "How are you liking the station so far?"

"Impressive so far. You've done a great deal of work in the span of months. I think you, and by extension Danger Arceneau and Myra, have worked hard and fast. It shows a great deal of dedication." The elder salavager took a sip from his own plain caf mug, continuing the conversation. "So how do mornings work around here?"

Spoon clinked as he fixed his caf, turning back to his father and keeping the kitchen island between them. Makai preferred the distance, it gave him a chance to watch the other's body language carefully. The sting of what occurred at the Farm was still a fresh memory in his mind and he was doing his best not to repeat.

"I get up, go for my run, come back, kiss Ellie good morning, take my shower, drink the caf she made for me. Then I make breakfast for just us, by the time we're done I'm making something for all the other ladies of the house, entertain the girls for a bit, listen to Danger's plans for the day....then its off to work once the Governess comes for the girls lessons. Sometimes they go with one of us, it just depends, not every planet is safe for them to travel to...so thats basically most days here."

Judah blinked, staring at Makai.

"You do this every day?"

"Well...yeah...sometimes we take a day off from work but...that's the routine around these parts. Seems to be working."

Makai was silently willing Ellie to wake up and be a small buffer in this situation. Not that he was going to put her in an awkward position. More that his father actually liked his fiancee and they talked quite frequently, much like when he and Danger chatted. It would just put a little less pressure off his shoulders to continue topics of conversation.

Right now this as just awkward and exhausting. A tilt of his chrono towards him. Only an hour and a half until the women of the house woke up. Hopefully each second wouldn't pass like an eternity until then.

"So how was Saluecami? Cousin Caspian? Great Aunt Talia?"

"Oh...everyone is fine. They say hello, you should really drop by.."

One hour, twenty eight minutes to go.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

The only sound was the hum of the air circulation system and the clicking of keys as they both worked on their datapads. Makai, more than himself, was busy typing. He was still in reading mode, sifting through a ton of holomail regarding Salacia. There was a small notepad next to him and he took a few notes as needed, until he was fully up to speed with the happenings around the company.

Judah looked towards Makai again, they were both sitting on the same side of the kitchen island now on little stools. The half-Galan seemed to be absorbed in his work, on his second cup of caf. Eyebrow raised as he spotted a large bruise on the boys thigh ; hard to miss considering the shorts. What had happened there?

"You get into a fight or something?"

"Huh?" Makai stopped typing, looking down at himself then at his father,confused. Iced blue eyes looked at his arms then down at his legs...oh."Oh, the bruise. Collateral damage from date night."

"Collateral damage....from date night..." Judah was trying to piece everything together. "Don't tell me you went ice skating again."

Makai laughed, genuinely amused by the idea of how he got the bruise. Ice skating was a good guess, although he hadn't tried that activity since he was a teenager, there was no need. He already knew he was clumsy enough.

"No...the,uh,kitchen table broke...my thigh got the brunt of the impact. Better my thigh then Ellie. New table is sturdy though, Kriin-wood from Alderaan. Had it rushed in."

Typing had resumed at this point and Judah continued to stare. There were a few blinks, taken aback at the casualness of it all in the way Makai answered. As if this was something that happened every day. He made a mental note to be a little more cautious in his questioning surrounding well...anything...at this point.

Not risking a repeat of what he just unwillingly learned, silence stretched between them until Makai got up and started to move around the kitchen, various items starting to appear on the counter. Judah peered over his datapad screen, looking at the eggs, whisk,pie crust, and various other items out on the opposite side of the expansive island. He cooked enough to know it was a quiche.

"You want some help?"

"No, you're fine. Continue to catch up. This is a light day, I'm only making one breakfast so its going to be easy."

"You weren't joking around about getting up early..." Judah was a little lost. He hadn't seen how the household worked but surely it couldn't be that busy where the pair woke up nearly two hours before everyone else. "...doesnt make a lot of sense."

"Sure it does. I make Ellie and I our breakfast, we have some time together, I move on to everyone else while we chat. She makes my caf, I make the meal. We get to relax together. Its a good system."

"But.."

Makai cut him off before his father continued whatever thoughts were floating around in his head. The half-Galan didn't want to hear it, most likely because it was going to lead to frustration on his part.

"But what? I love her, so I like doing it. I take care of her but Ellie also takes care of me. You can argue all you want, probably because you don't see it, but our dynamic isn't for you to understand or approve of. Which...frankly, is why you're alone."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're looking at what we do as fifty-fifty. Its not. Sometimes I got to put in ninety-five percent and Ellie puts in five that day. Other days she is putting in one hundred and ten percent and I'm giving her absolutely nothing to work off of. Those are rare days, of course. Yet its not something we keep track of, like, oh, you were half-assing it all last week. We love each other. Sometimes a person has to carry the other, whether they want to or not. You either know you chose the right person to know that when the time comes, they will carry you too...or...you grow resentful and keep score. Or worse, shut down and don't allow them to ever help. Which, from my observation, you're the last example. The shut down."

Judah stared blankly at his son. Makai continued either way.

"Love isn't transactional, Dad. Something to think about this morning for you."

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Lugging out a folded projector screen, Persie's brow furrowed. Two folks were talking but it wasn't the usual cadence of her guardians, no, it sounded like two men.

"....if you would just take the damned risks maybe you wouldn't be so miserable!"

"Who said I was miserable? I did a lot growth out on Saleucami."

The teenage girl rounded the wall and was greeted by the sight of Makky and his father. She immediately rolled her eyes and looked at the pair.

"Yous ain't out here hollerin' at your boy again is you? If so, shut it. It's too early to be listenin' to your damn bitchin'. Both of yous."

Better cover both her bases in case Makky was the one moanin' and groanin' too. Ignoring both of them from here on out, she began to set up her projector screen for the morning argument. She didn't have one everyday but only when the situations called for it.

"Good morning Persephone." Makai tried not to look amused at the way the girl greeted them. "A presentation today I see."

"Mmhmmm, gonna wait til I eat though. We got berries? Makky don't get them for me, I don't need you sweatin' all over my food."

Persephone was completely enamoured by the fact she could get fresh fruit every single day. They always had some, not just for special occasions. She was taking advantage just in case the rug was pulled from underneath her.

Pulling up the frame of the screen to open it, all the sudden she was enveloped in a massive hug from Makky.

"Ugh, get off me you sweaty, scaley idiot! Now I'm goin' smell like desperation and nerd."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Hearing Persie groan over Makai's sweaty hugs was not abnormal; truth be told Makai Dashiell and the teen did their fair share of acting like actual siblings. It was adorable and cute. As expected, Makai was already awake. Persie, of course, mid-sweaty hug, had been attempting to set up her PowerPoint presentation. Two normal sights for the Queen of Trade.

What wasn't was the contrite, befuddled expression of confusion Judah Dashiell had on his tanned face.

"Ya'll wake up all spritely this mornin'," Danger murmured, walking in as comfortable as she could be in a flattering emerald green robe. Her hair fell in soft auburn waves down the sides of her face and back, with a light layer of makeup carefully applied over the dusting of freckles and a perfectly applied cat's eye. "And it appears that we got ourselves an early morin' meetin' as well?" she chuckled, giving an eyeful over at the direction of Persie's presentation.

"Judah, hope you had a good night's rest," she added, giving the old salvaged a nod in greeting as she made her way over to pour herself a pot of caf. The best foot forward in her book was to act as if this were any other day and not treat Judah's presence any differently. Looking over at Persie, Danger asked, " Persie, is Rue still asleep?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Morning Danger."

Judah was trying to take it all in. So early in the morning and it was just a madhouse. Was it always this...lively? He was trying to remember back to when Makai was a boy and what mornings were like. Even when Myra stayed over, he didn't think it was this bad. Incessant chatter was one thing. This was a whirlwind of activity.

"Are they like this every day...?"

Question was for Danger Arceneau as he continued to observe everything. After the little back-and-forth with Makai, he was back to trying to keep much of his comments to a minimum. Not that he was upset by Makai's call out, more he didn't want to dissolve into chaos less then twenty-four hours back. He could easily see something going sideways.

At the questioning of where young Rue was, all he heard was the sound of feet before the spunky tiny redhead burst into the kitchen, a notebook in hand. Little body slammed into Danger, arms tossed around her, seemingly squeezing as tight as she could in a little kid manner. Judah was certain he saw some caf slosh out of Danger's mug.

"Right here Mama!"

Letting go of Danger, she bounded over to Makai, slamming into him with equal force. Notebook was in hand and she shook it in front of Makai, as if to emphasize her point of what she was about to say.

'Makky, hurry, give me your comm. We gotta get Perlic off the bench for tonight. They are playin' at home and the statistics say we gotta make sure we play him. We can't lose to them."

Them being his old fraternity brothers.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger gave a throaty chuckle at Rue, balancing herself and holding the caf mug aloft and away from the youngling as was a common occurrence. She had been concerned that Rue would take time to bond and build up her personality, but thankfully, the holointergration therapy as well as the help from Myra, Makai Dashiell , and Persie allowed the little girl to slowly break out of her shell.

It was clear that Rue was coming out of her shell, especially when it came to the fantasy gravball games. These games, a unique blend of strategy and mental prowess, had become a shared passion for Rue and Makai, deepening their bond.

“Mornin, hope you slept well,Judah,” With a slow, full-hipped amble, Danger approached one of the chairs close to Judah, not the one right next to him but one over, to give him his space.

"Mmhm," Danger replied to Judah Dashiell , giving a slow nod as she brought her caf mug up to her lips to take a sip. Black and sweet. Just how she liked it.

"Although Persie's presentations are about once a week give or take. More if some sort of fashion event is happenin' somewheres in the galaxy. The last one required us to ensure she had a personal transport, pilot, and guard to attend to her. Boy, she didn't like that additional part. It was non-negotiable though. The public transport she took was hijacked by pirates."