Take Off The Mask

[Danger Arceneau]

"That would require letting go Mistah Kuhn." she'd keen out with mild amusement, only to catch her breath as his own would elicit the wave of goosebumps over her skin, puckering where points met. He always managed to evoke this reaction out of her. Didn't matter what form of game they played, her body was a traitorous thing. The only difference being that she was a willing participant.

The flutter at her throat hitched and she studied him through smokey green eyes. The more they went through this back and forth, the more likely they'd never leave the bed.

"Are you going to let go?" the auburn eyebrow would arch in daring, although it was easy to lose focus when the warmth of his breath spanned lower.

Cheat.

"I'm sure Mistah Tuggles is hungry..."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric made a loud musing sound for a moment, as if he seriously had to consider whether or not he would let her go in the first place. He smiled slightly, his playing across her skin, finger slowly sliding down the length of her spine before slowly trailing upward once again. The Tetan mused, his eyes closing for just a second as he took in the scent that lingered around her. For a brief moment he wondered if he would be able to ever resist her, if he would have the strength.

"Perhaps." His grip tightened for just a second. "Then again..."

His teeth sunk into her neck one last time. "Perhaps not."

Alric breathed onto her neck, then finally released her wrists. His palms sailed up her body and into her hair, fingers very gently spreading through deep red locks of hair and gently pulling just enough to tug her head gingerly to the side. He placed a kiss upon her skin, then very slowly pressed his body up and against hers, rolling her off of him as his fingers retreated and he slowly slid away from her.

The Tetan stood from the bed, bare, smiling down at her. "Though, I do have a bet to win."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

It was the sensation of his fingers raking through her hair, entangling it with his fist and giving a firm tug that always did her in. Combine it with the fact that the old Tetan knew exactly where to touch and kiss with practiced pressure, it only made that warm rush escalate into a low ache. Every so quick to stir the pot he was; all the more once he'd tease only to leave.

A sigh blew out of her lips, and she went rolling onto her back to admire the view. He may very well be past fifty, but he was still quite the handsome specimen. He had a few scars here and there; a testimony to his more outrageous and adrenaline junkie youth. One would never imagine the rather cultured former Titan involving himself in underground illegal pugilist matches; but he did.

It had been only after his heart attack that he'd stopped.

Sliding her legs over and across the bed, Danger set her feet upon the ground. "Don't count your Nuna's before they hatch!" she would cry out after him. With a low chuckle, Danger would slip a soft silk robe over her body. All the while, she couldn't stop smiling.

Now where were those treats?


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric had pulled on a pair of sweatpants on his way out of the bedroom and towards Mr. Tuggles room, his cane having been swept up this time so that he could properly walk without getting too tired. It wasn't that he couldn't do without it, just that it was easier to walk with it. There was no shame in him for having to use the cane, especially since he had the excuse of an old injury. He shifted slightly as the ache in his thigh spiked towards him, hitting him for a moment and causing him to walk a bit slower.

"Damn thing." The Tetan said as he used his off-hand to gently rub the old wound. The blaster bolt that had struck him initially hadn't done all that much damage, he'd been able to walk, but the burning sear of the weapon had eventually dug down into his thigh and scorched away some of his ligaments. That had been the real problem, the fact that his muscles weren't held together as tightly as they had once been. It caused an over extension when he walked, and thus the pain.

"Alright, Mr. Tuggles." Alric said as he walked into the room. "We have an experiment for you."

The little was curled up in the corner, sleeping on an overly large and comfortable bed. His ears seemed to perk when he heard Alric's voice, flicking slightly as his heard turned up and towards the Tetan.

Almost immediately the Tuggle seemed to jump from its place in bed, bounding up and scrambling over to the edge of his pen to meet Alric. There was almost an instant affinity from the small creature, it's tail waggling back and forth in excitement.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger gave a slight smile at the murmur of Alric's parting voice. Her fingers would lace around the ties, bringing the folds of her robes to tie it at her waist. There were two pockets, one of which she would use to sway the cards in her favor. With a low chuckle, the Queen of Trade would quietly amble over towards her desk.

A pull of a drawer, and she would quietly search for those treats. She would only need two, if that. There was plenty of food for the Tuggle to enjoy and fresh water at the other room. Yet would would be able to resist a treat? Cheating? No. Simply utilizing all the advantages in her favor. Slipping the treats into her pocket, she dusted off her hands.

Stepping out of the main bedroom, Danger would call out, "I take it Mistah Tuggles is awake?" wry humor danced in her voice, her green eyes catching sight of the partially clothed Kuhn. The Tuggle was already pressing his wet nose against the light perimeter, his big fluffy tail swaying in excitement.

Danger would press a kiss upon Alric's upper arm, reaching down to scratch at the Tuggle behind the ears.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Because Alric wasn't a dirty cheater with loose morals and ideas about what fair play was he did not sneak treats for Mr. Tuggles into his pocket, nor did he sneak any sort of food anywhere. Instead he depended on the love and connection that the little Tuggle had shown for him almost instantly. He reached down and scooped up the little guy out of his pen, scratching his tummy and eliciting a small growling gurgle from Mr. Tuggles as he was cuddled in his arms.

"He is." Alric said as he turned on his heel and wandered towards the living room.

Danger followed along in her robe of course, Alric unaware of the trick that she was going to play in order to win the bet. Before they got to that part however, before Mr. Tuggles could have his way about the living room the old Tetan wanted to make sure that the little creature was well fed, or at least wouldn't be ravenously trying to eat the sofa. To that effect he wandered into the Kitchen, putting Mr. Tuggles on the floor and wandering over to get a bowl.

The next few minutes was seen with him searching, Danger pointing out where the Tuggle food was, and Alric filling the bowl with said food.

Soon after the Kitchen was filled with loud munching noises as Mr. Tuggles began to feast.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Set to serve herself a cup of tea, and aware that she would have a bit of a leg up with the treats, Danger swept past Alric with a brush of her fingers across his back. Mister Tuggles was quite the noisy eater, amusingly so. He would sit down beside it, sniff then start gobbling up. After a while he would take his hands and plop down to attempt to bring more food into his mouth.

"Such a curious creature." she'd say, taking a kettle to set it boil water. "Do you want anything to drink?" Danger would ask her husband, watching him admire the Tuggle. The faint expression of delight that would bathe his face was another reminder that all the trouble had been worth it.

A thought came that if Mister Tuggles ate, the treats may not be so useful. However, what animal did not enjoy eating more food once they smelled it? It amused her to use such a technique, simply because it had been a while since the other had managed to one up the other in a game.

Was she simply being silly? Perhaps.



[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

No she was being a cheater. Something Alric would never be, because he always played fair and was a stalwart example of how men and women should act during bets and games. It was as simple as that. Of course The Tetan didn't know any of this and as such would never say anything about it, nor would he accuse Danger of ever being a cheater, nor would he really hold it against her because along with not being a cheater he was also a benevolent and kind person that had grown over the past two decades so lets not bring up things that happened in the past.

"I'm good." The Tetan said as he watched Mr. Tuggles ravenously chow down.

"Man, the little guy can eat." Within a matter of moments Mr. Tuggles had completely chewed through all of the food that Alric had put in his bowl, pressing his face against the ceramic edges as he sniffed around for more then quickly half turning around towards Alric and Danger. He did a small tap dance, then looked from the two of them with his nose sniffling the air as though he could catch a scent of something that was still around him. Alric raised his hand. "I have nothing for you, little guy."

Mr. Tuggles stared at Alric for a moment, then proceeded to stamp his little feet.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Looks like he's still hungry." Danger said over her shoulder chuckling. If there was anyone in the 'Verse who would know exactly how Alric had played the con man and did things in manners that didn't play fair, it was Danger. After all, he didn't get to where he was by playing fair to begin with. Even with games, Alric Kuhn did not have an immaculate history that made him innocent of any transgressions.

The kettle would start to whistle and she went about pouring herself a cup of tea. "He is still growing. No more than a few months old. Barely weened." Danger would elaborate, telling him more about the Tuggle.

"They mature at about a year and a half. He'll grow well beyond a meter." She would move past Mister Tuggles and the old Tetan, moving to collect a spoon and some honey.




[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

That was pretty big, especially considering at the rate he already moved. It would mean that Mr. Tuggles would need to be regularly walked, fed, and trained well so he didn't destroy everything around him. Alric considered for a moment, tapping his chin and very gingerly scratching his beard as he considered all the things he would have to do just to make sure that Mr. Tuggles didn't completely ruin everything in the apartment and beyond.

If the Tuggle was really going to grow that large it meant he would be very hyperactive.

Briefly the Tetan wondered if he could even keep up with the Little Guy, He liked to think that his leg worked fine enough to get him around, but he knew that when it came to running and playing games, sports, all of that sort of thing he wasn't really up to the task. His injury simply didn't allow him that range of movement anymore, especially when it came to following things that were much faster than him. He frowned slightly, looking up from the Tuggle towards Danger.

"Maybe when he's fully grown we'll have to move to a farm." Alric said it, meaning it as a joke.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger caught the slight furrowing over [member="Alric Kuhn"] 's brow. He was already becoming pensive. What it meant at having a pet that would need attention and plenty of time and care. The corner of her mouth rose in affection as seeing him stand there. Mister Tuggles dipped his head onto the ground, his wet nose sniffing at the treats he knew were near.

"It will be fine," she told him, ambling over with her hot cup of tea between her hands. The Tuggle caught a whiff of what lay within Danger's pocket. His tail began to thump and he immediately bounded from Alric's side over towards the Queen of Trade.

"Whoa.. there!" slightly startled, she attempted to keep her balance, holding the cup of tea aloof so that it wouldn't be spilled by the over excited Tuggle. He would nudge at her knee, his silky fur rubbing along her leg. Both ears were perked up, rounded out and his eyes large and wide. As if he didn't want to lose Danger at all from his sight.

"You clever thing." she chuckled out. Glancing up, she'd smile at Alric. "Mind getting the treats from my pocket?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He perked an eyebrow. "Treats?"

Alric slowly wandered over to Danger, head held high, eyes wandering towards her pockets. He ignored Mr. Tuggles for the time being, though the little guy was swishing around Danger's feat excitedly was he was able to tell that something was happening, even if he wasn't quite sure what. The Tetan walked up to Danger, slowly slipping his hand into her pocket and removing the treats, carefully curling his fingers around them and letting them sit in his palm so he could inspect them.

"Uh huh." Mr. Tuggles ran between Alric's legs now, clearly being able to smell the food. "I suppose you were going to give these to Mr. Tuggles before our little bet? Not after."

He looked at Danger, amusement playing across his lips.

Of course, this was just like Danger. She didn't mean anything evil by it, and she certainly wouldn't have really tried to trick him, just chanced the odds a bit. He didn't blame her for that, but he did crouch down and slowly feed the treats one by one to Mr. Tuggles, eyeing Danger as he did so.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Her eyes were unnaturally bright as Danger brought the cup of tea up to her lips. There was an impish flash within their verdant depths, one that would purse her lips as she drank that first sip of mint tea. Mister Tuggles was noisily eating his treats, eating literally out of Alric's hand. Staring at the two, she had to admit how adorable the Tuggle was.

[member="Alric Kuhn"] wasn't too shabby at all either.

"Why Mistah Kuhn...are you insinuating anything?" came the wry drawl of her husky query, an auburn eyebrow rising in her growing humor. She met his scrutiny with the slow innocent shrug of her left shoulder. A typical move for the Queen of Trade when she'd act coy, only this time it was coated with visible mischief.

"After all... a girl's reputation is all she has." she'd say, chuckling a mammaquatia as her auburn head bent down to press a kiss on his temple. That wet tongue of the Tuggle would rasp against Alric's palm, his thick tail sweeping much like a duster over the floor.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric looked up at Danger. He shifted slightly, petting Mr. Tuggles on the head and letting his fingers sail down the little guys fur as he sniffed around for more treats. The little Tuggle could handle a surprising amount of food, and the Tetan had no doubt that if he had the option Mr. Tuggles would have chowed down on half a bantha with sincere happiness. The Titan frowned slightly, his lips turning down as he gently booped the creature on the nose, causing slight confusion in the Tuggle.

"I don't think I'm insinuating anything." Alric answered finally, looking up at Danger just as Mr. Tuggles tried to sniff his own nose, rearing up with effort.

"I believe I downright said it." A grin spread across his face. "Or was I not clear enough Mrs. Cheater Cheater Nuna Eater?"

The Tetan eyed her for a moment, his bright blue orbs settling on hers as his fingers continued to lace over Mr. Tuggles soft fur. The little creature had abandoned smelling his own nose and was now searching around on the floor and on Alric's pants for any sort of crumbs that he might have missed.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

“Ohhh Mistha Kuhn,” her head took on a rather practiced sweep, setting her cup of tea down upon the counter. “How dare you!” she would say with mock affront.

“I am a lady of honor and dignity… “ she would tell him, trying her best to not smirk and instead laud him with her most prideful expression.

Which only went so far because the Tuggle came right to her then. Excitable as a kathhound pup and demanding affection. She began to laugh, coming down to her knees to scratch him fully behind his small round ears.

“I only cater to my clients tastes, Mistah Kuhn,” she would grin out, the Tuggle’s tail swinging with enough strength to bat at Alric’s leg.

“Mistah Tuggles is no different.” she’d answer with a smirk, bending down to press a kiss on the tip of his wet nose.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric stretched up and leaned against the counter, easing himself away from the Tuggle so that his tail didn't smack against his leg over and over again. The little guy was actually quite strong already, and the way that he moved and wiggled about showed that he really had been bred for the purpose of pulling large amounts of weight. It was clear that Mr. Tuggles would become a handful, making it all the more important that he was well trained.

The Tetan shifted slightly.

"Uh huh." He said looking down at Mr. Tuggles. "Just a coincidence that you thought you would stand behind the dejarik board then eh?"

The Titan looked at her knowingly. "I suppose it's just a coincidence though."

It wasn't at all, but then again Alric didn't really care all that much. He knew that Danger like to play around just as much as he did, knew that she enjoyed their little fun. Doing something to shift the odds slightly in her favor wasn't that big of a deal, at least nothing to get upset over.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Well... as much as a coincidence as a girl needs to ensure everything goes to plan." she'd chuckle out. Another light press of her lips against his temple and she rose to her feet.

"Come on... Dejarik or the holoscreen. We've a bet to determine the victor." the woman would smile out, nuzzling at his cheek and enjoying the rasp of his beard.

"He'll need a walk soon enough," came the reminder, taking her cup of tea as she began to step off. Mister Tuggles's little black claws made a quick clicking sound across the floor, eagerly following Danger as if she had all the answers and love to over in the 'Verse. Tail wagging furiously, he only managed a few feet before he came to a halt.

His long neck gave a swivel, peering questioningly at Alric as if to say, 'Are you coming?'

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric followed after the little Tuggle, the fluffy little creature finding trouble as they once again hit the slippery wooden floors that surrounded the Kitchen area. Without missing a beat Alric came up behind him, putting his fingers below the Tuggles belly and lifting him up and off the floor with a slight scraggle of legs and a shaking of its body. He shifted slightly, lifting Mr. Tuggles into his arm and wandering towards the living room where Danger was already standing, waiting.

"Now." Alric said. "You sit over there."

Alric pointed to the couch, far away from both the dejarik board and the holo-screen. Mr. Tuggles began to waggle in his arms, clearly excited to be able to walk on carpet again and actually practice his motor skills so that he could get around the apartment without much of a problem. Alric didn't let him down just yet however, preferring to watch Danger as she sauntered over towards the Sofa and plopped herself down on top of it. He nodded.

"Good." Not that he didn't trust her, but she'd already been shown to change the odds for herself.

As soon as Danger sat herself down Alric put Mr. Tuggles down onto the ground, placing him with a gentle hand.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Alric’s antics amused her to the point of chuckling outright at his careful placement of Mr. Tuggles along with his eyeing of her. Sweeping her tongue along her teeth, Danger gave a noticeable smirk as her arms rose, resting along the top of the couch as the old Tetan dealt with the excitable Tuggle.

His slender white body went skimming around and through Alric’s legs, his slick coat rubbing off a couple of hairs onto his sleeping pants. His large black nose went dipping onto the floor, sniffing around the carpet as he searched for more treats. He was such a curious creature, fluffy tail pumping and straining to explore around his little area.

“I assure you, Mistah Kuhn… I am limited by what is available to me. I’ve no hoodoo to turn things to my favor.” in her throaty chuckle.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Stay." Alric said to Mr. Tuggles, poking him on the nose. The little guy looked up at Alric, slightly perplexed, but did as he was told. It was oddly intuitive like that, simply staying put as Alric wandered over towards Danger and sat himself down. "Go!"

The Tuggle looked at Alric for a moment, confused.

He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself, especially since he didn't know what 'go' meant. His expression changed slightly, and the old Tetan could have sworn that the Tuggle finally shrugged and simply began to sniff his way around the living room. He made no real move to go towards either the Dejarik Board or the holo-screen, and instead began to explore everything else around the place. Alric let out a chuckle, looking over at Danger. "I guess he's not interested in entertainment."

Mr. Tuggles sniffed a spot on the carpet, tentatively sticking out his tongue and licking it before making an odd face and scurrying away towards the Sofa.