Honey, I'm Home

[Dresden Verbrennung]

There was nothing quite like coming home.

For the last three months, Dresden had been neck deep in the swamps of a miserable little world somewhere in the Mid Rim. There was nothing there worth fighting for, but that had never stopped anyone from trying, and the planetary government had been able to raise the funds to hire a few mercenary advisers to train their fledgling army. It wasn't a combat job. Dresden had simply been there to advise on the creation of an elite training program. That, unfortunately, had meant purposefully seeking out the roughest, most inhospitable parts of the world and seeing which would be best suited for putting recruits through hell. For three months, he had trekked through some of the worst terrain possible, and now that the contract was over, he was never going back to that wretched place again.

Now though, that was someone else's problem.

The mercenary arrived in system around lunchtime. By the time he was cleared through ATC, it was a little after 1500 local time. The traffic here was a nightmare, but [member="Dru"] liked to be close to where the action was, and Dresden didn't mind dealing with people who couldn't fly to save their lives so long as he had a ship with some serious firepower.

You know, just in case.

His heavily modified Skipray 24r Blastboat had that in spades. The thing violated so many local ordinances that he suspected the only reason the government of Empress Teta allowed him to keep the thing was that they were afraid to try to take it.

He piloted his pocket warship down to the small estate that he and Dru shared. It wasn't huge by the standards of some planets, but on a world that was almost entirely covered in a sprawling metropolis that rivaled Coruscant for sheer scale, it was massive. He landed the Skipray in the small hangar over by the edge of the property. Dru's ship, a Nubian J-type barge, was also present, but that didn't necessarily mean she was home, just that she was on the planet somewhere. She knew he was supposed to be home sometime today, but he hadn't been able to say exactly when. She might be out handling some last minute business or something.

Dresden considered trying to comm her, but decided against it at the last minute. If she was off on business, he didn't want to jog her elbow.

In the unlikely event that she was entertaining guests, he hiked around to the back of the manor. Though he had showered and put on clean clothes when he got into the system, he was still wearing his gear, since it was far easier to wear it than carry it separately. What with the plate carrier vest, complete with ammo pouches, grenades, and other assorted ordinance, the large rifle that dangled by his side, and the pack full of explosives, it was a safe bet that he'd spook any guests.

There was a reason the walkway to the house from the hangar was fully enclosed, after all.

He made his way to the backdoor and punched his access code into the keypad. He made sure to use the one that would send a ping to Dru if she was in the area, just so she wouldn't be surprised.

The door slid open, revealing a large mud room that also doubled as a weapons check. He cleared the rifle and put it in the appropriate spot. It would be taken to the armory so he could clean it later. The explosives went into a different receptacle, and there was yet another for the tactical equipment. Once everything was put up, he headed inside the house proper. There was a private lounge with a wet bar, and after a long trip, he sure could use a drink.

 

[Dru]

*Dru had been keeping herself as busy as she could while [member="Dresden Verbrennung"] went off and played. She visited their daughter, she threw a couple lavish dinners, hosted a ball and started a new legitimate business venture. It was a busy three months, but she had this date marked on her calendar. She was free for the next week, no appointments, no visitors, no interruptions. It would be perfect.

The house was decorated for the holidays, with wreaths, garlands, bows, and at least half a forest of trees inside in stands and trimmed with lights and shiny ornaments in all colors of the rainbow. Dresden had just spent the last 3 months in a nasty, muddy swamp. Dru had spared no expense to deck the halls with festive warmth. The scent of evergreens and spices floated through the air, and there were fires going in all the fireplaces in the house. There were a great many of them. Dru and Dresden preferred rather old fashioned things, archaic things come to think of it. There was precious little technology in their home, but plenty of wood, leather, and stone. They had a library, shelves stocked with thousands of books that would have taken someone several life times to read.

When the chime sounded through the home, Dru grinned widely. She had been in the kitchen, baking some bread to go with dinner, which bubbled away in a covered pot next to the bread. She pulled the loaf pan out of the oven and set it to cool on a rack on the counter. A pot on the stove with a mixture of apple cider, bourbon, spices and lemon juice. She pulled a couple mugs out of the cabinet, and put a couple whiskey stones in them before she ladled some of the drink over them to help them cool. Knowing him as she did, the first thing he was gonna go for was a drink, then probably a kiss. She was going to save him a trip.

Dru was already in the lounge with the mugs when he came in from a different door, and she just smiled. Her hair had been done at one point, but there were a couple stray strands falling across her face. She had on a crisp, white, button down shirt, with her sleeves rolled up from cooking and a pair of worn out blue denim pants. Considering it was still white, she had to have been wearing an apron. She still had on her makeup, her ruby red lips in a wide smile, a sparkle in her eye. He was home at last.*

"Hey, you. Brought you a drink."

 

[Dresden Verbrennung]

Dresden grinned as he walked in the room.

Even after all these years, [member="Dru"] never failed to take his breath away. He drank in the sight of her for a moment, invisible butterflies beating a cadence in his stomach. Their life still felt like a dream at times. They had taken the long way around getting here, and there were moments when he was afraid he'd wake up and find himself back home, alone and cold.

The mercenary walked over, relieved her of one of the mugs and gave her a kiss. It wasn't terribly long or deep, but there would be time enough for that later. These little moments were more rare than either of them would like to admit, so naturally, they cherished them.

"Gods damn, you're a sight for sore eyes," he said. He took a sip from the drink. It was, as usual perfect. They made their way over to a plush couch by the fire and sank down on it, cuddling against one another with the comfortable familiarity of longtime lovers. Which, to be fair, they were. She fit against his side just so, his arm draped comfortably over her shoulder, hand resting on her chest just a little too low to be considered appropriate. It wasn't like either of them cared. There were no servants or droids to walk in on them, and Senna wasn't the sort to stop by for a visit.

Once upon a time, if you had shown either of them a picture of this perfect moment, they would have both scoffed at the idea. Now they fit in it so comfortably it was hard to imagine anything else.

 

[Dru]

"You done slogging around the wet, muddy parts of the galaxy for a while?"

*Dresden liked his wargames, and even though he didn't really need the money, he still made a point of getting out there, putting boots to ground and keeping himself sharp. He would tell you that it was about that at any rate. In truth, Dresden needed purpose, and if someone required his expertise, then it was up to him to provide it. Everyone needs purpose.

For Dru, that purpose was a little different.

Dru had her sights on the galaxy.

She dreamt big, always had. She could not accomplish the feats of the Force masters, the power escaped her. However, she could bring the galaxy to its knees in other ways. She was not above forcing her will on the masses by other means. Like socio-economic takedowns.

Dru sipped the mug of bourbon, gazing at the fire, with his warmth beneath her. She inhaled deeply, the scent of him, the booze and the fire making her relax even more into his embrace. Except her evil little mind was grinding gears, prompting her to begin speaking of the things she had been up to.*

"I got bored while you were gone. You have to be here to stop me from deciding bad ideas are good things."

[member="Dresden Verbrennung"]

 

[Dresden Verbrennung]

"For a while, yeah," Dresden said sheepishly.

They both knew why he did what he did, and [member="Dru"] was supportive for the most part. She didn't necessarily like the idea of him going out and getting shot at, but she knew better than to try to stop him.

Just like Dresden knew better than to try to stop her from whatever cockamamie schemes she cooked up.

"Honey, there's not a power in this verse that'll stop you from deciding that bad ideas are good ideas," he said with a grin. He bent over and kissed her on the cheek.

To everyone that knew them socially, Dru was a highly successful business woman who had an uncanny knack for putting money in the right place at the right time. They had arrived on Empress Teta nearly broke, with barely enough credits to put down a deposit on a small apartment in one of the rougher areas of the city that covered the planet. Dresden made enough in contracts around the planet to support them and put back enough money for Dru to purchase a small restaurant. In a little under a decade, she had turned that initial investment into a burgeoning business empire that stretched across the planet.

It was an inspiring rags to riches story that earned the admiration of the ambitious and the ire of the old money.

"So what's the deal this time?"

 

[Dru]

"Well, I started an escort service with the aim to expand into information brokering. The way the galaxy is mixed up, it makes sense to get in on a piece of the action. It beats sitting around here while you're off in the cosmos. Gives me something to do."

*The unspoken part of this was that she was bored, she craved power and in the absence of her usual devices, she had to think differently. Building a legitmate business had been nice, but there was a sinister heart that beat in her chest and she had been good for long enough in her estimations.*

"I have a couple girls starting with a benefit being hosted next week. If all goes well, I should be able to get some heavier clients and get up to speed in the next year or two."

[member="Dresden Verbrennung"]

 

[Dresden Verbrennung]

Dresden didn't quite grimace. He had known [member="Dru"] long enough to know the darkness in her heart. Their mutual taste for carnage was part of what had drawn them together. But in the end, it was a matter of scale. He preferred a more personal touch. Given the right lever, she would move mountains. The sorts of information that powerful men whispered in the dark to impress women could make for one hell of a lever.

"Smart plan," he said, taking another sip of his drink and snuggling up a little closer. Despite their public personas, when left alone together they tended to be the touchy feely type, especially after a contract. They knew what it was like to be apart, and every minute together was a blessing.

"Where'd you find girls up to the job?"