Take Off The Mask

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"I am fairly sure that out of both of us, Mistah Kuhn; I'm more apt to know already how to tame wild critters." Danger would quip with a slight chuckle, dribbling her fingers against his chest. She let her hands fall flat over it, spreading wide across his chest. Frowning, she gave a slight cluck of her tongue.

"Tsk tsk, " she began, eyes rising to meet the Tetan's. A sly grin and her thumbs went hooking around the part of his jacket to fold it back, intending to slide it off of his shoulders.

"You should take this off Mistah Kuhn," she'd add, "Much too warm a night for you to wear a jacket." she teased, scrunching her nose a bit as her head went tipping back to catch his regard.

"...hmm... maybe we can learn a skill or two. How is your game of Dejarik?" she inquired. They never really had a chance to sit down and play. After so many years, she had a long-standing game with a member of the correspondence chapter. It was anonymous, but fun.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"I mastered that skill a long time ago." Alric said with a slight yawn, leaning back in his chair.

That was certainly true. By most standards he probably could have played Dejarik professionally. There were half a dozen leagues in the galaxy...probably more then that actually, and Alric could've qualified for all of them. That didn't meant he was the best, it just meant he was rather good. Good enough to play with the professionals anyway.

"How about something more exciting?" He asked with a smile. "Water-skiing."

He waggled his eyebrows.

The river below ran down into the valley into what was eventually a rather large lake. They didn't have a boat yet, but buying one wouldn't really pose them any problems, especially given that they should probably have one anyway.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

At that, Danger gave a hearty laugh. Waterskiing?!! Really, waterskiiing?!! The thought alone made her shoulders quake at the silliness of such a suggestion, but not for the reason the elder Tetan may believe. He swung her around, her hair swaying by her shoulders as they shook in dismayed mirth.

"Only if'n you've a dire need to see me straight to my grave!" She said, her fingers tracing up his back after draping his jacket over the railing. Much better she mused, enjoying the sight of the Tetan in his crisp white dress shirt. It became him, what with his dark tan and the brilliant blue of sapphire eyes.

"I know back home they have the Western Dune sea, but one ain't do no waterskiing there!" The redhead finally emphasized, making the reason for her laughter clear.

Danger didn't know how to swim.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"So?" He said. "That's the point of learning, My love, doing something you're not already good at."

Alric smirked slightly.

He knew how to swim, but water-skii? No. He'd never quite tried that particular skill. Whenever he'd been on the water there had always been more pressing things about that needed his attention, usually two things...round things. He smirked slightly again. "It could be fuuun."

Alric would play the tempter.

This was all about something new for them after all. Part of it may not have been very exciting, living at home, raising their daughter together, being here on the farm where the mostly was...nothing, but it wasn't about excitement. It wasn't about living the high life and doing cray things. This was about just the opposite. It was about focusing on themselves, on their family, on the love that they held for one another. IT was about the two of them.

If water-skiing would be a part of that, then so be it.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

“Mhm...fun.” Danger would repeat in a wry tone, although the softening of her expression and the way the corner of her mouth gave a twitch told the Tetan that she was warming up to the suggestion. The man had a way of convincing her to try new things. For example, who would have thought she’d willingly travel to a snow covered planet to stay in an ice mansion?!

“We should find out first if Myra could even swim,” she added, mulling aloud a topic that they haven’t really breached. Truth be told, they didn’t know much about Myra’s background. Oh they knew the names of her late parents, but what she knew or what she experienced, well, that was a bit of a dark hole. What they knew now was dependant on what they could managed to communicate from gestures and very patient sit downs with the little girl. But like all younglings, their attention spans were short, and Myra’s in particular was subject to bouts of PTSD if she felt too pressured or cornered.
“Maybe we can start with that, mmm?” the redhead suggested, her hand coming up to trace down Alric’s shoulder to his elbow.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"That would probably be better." Myra probably didn't know how to swim. Dromund Kaas wasn't exactly devoid of oceans and water of course, but the planet...well it wasn't whole. Even without the Sith in control of it there was something that was never quite right with Dromund Kaas. The world felt wrong, simply put, and the residents upon it more then realized that. Most people that lived there had never really thought about luxuries like swimming and other fine things.

It was more of an aspect of survival upon that planet.

"We can find out tomorrow." He said with a yawn. "There's a lake a few miles down the valley."

Alric already knew this place like the back of his hand. He'd studied half a dozen planets and dozens of locations on those planets, he had eventually chosen this place out of a hundred places. He knew every geological survey, every inch of the maps, every mark of the territory that one could possibly know. It had been important to him to do so, and it would ultimately make living here so much better.

If only because he knew all the best spots. "We can make a day of it."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"She's spent some time with Makai," Danger would inform Alric, her fingers running through his hair in a gentle cafune. The small yawn he gave made her smile, and she could tell he was growing weary.

"So it may not be too much of trouble." a slight furrowing of her brows, and then a thought came to her.

"We could invite Judah and Makai to come over," she suggested, mentioning the CEO of Salacia Consolidated and his son that Danger was very attached to. Some might say he even captured the bounty successfully on her heart.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He shrugged. "Sure."

That had been a part of why he'd built the Farm the way it was. There was enough room in this place to fit ten families, with several empty apartments in the tower and then a few guest cottages scattered all around the land they owned. Everything had been built out to perfection, set into place so they could host parties, gala's, pretty much anything they could ever dream of. He had wanted The Farm to be their home, and inevitably that would mean hosting people.

"There's more then enough room." Alric said. "Just have to bring toothbrushes."

He smirked. "And clothes."

They couldn't provide everything.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"I'm sure they will bring their own toothbrushes and clothes." Danger shook her head at the Tetan, giving a roll of her eyes. He could be such a silly man.

"Where would we be, if they didn't have toothbrushes and clothing." she'd add with dramatic flair. Danger gave a shake of her head, whisps of auburn hair tickling her cheeks with the movement.

"Alright Mistah Kuhn," she began, pulling away from the former Titan to give his arm a gentle pat.

"We should go back inside." she'd remind him, giving a slight nod of her head to direct them back to their suite. Whatever they would do tomorrow, they would be sure to enjoy it. A picnic would be nice. Maybe see Mira and Mister Tuggles run up and down the hills a bit. Seeing that youngling be able to be carefree and act like a child warmed Danger's heart.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Oh?" He said as he looked out towards the distant land, the sun quickly beginning to set in the distance. He watched quietly, smiling slightly as he saw the edges of light slowly creep away around the mountains upon the valley. Alric wondered what it would look like in the winter, with a sheen of white covering nearly everything.

He had chosen this place well.

"Getting tired, Miss Arceneau?" Alric asked with a smile. "I remember when you would insist upon staying up all night."

He teased her, his eyes still wandering over the distant Valley. There was something oddly magical about it, encapsulating. He couldn't quite manage to keep his eyes off the scene. It wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this of course, it wasn't even the most magnificent sight he'd ever taken in, but perhaps knowing that it was his, that the Valley and the land within belonged to him, it created a certain sense of wonder within the corporate Titan.

Something that didn't need to be explained.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"Oh, I ain't gettin' tired, Mistah Kuhn," Danger would drawl right back, giving his shoulder a slight push with the tips of her fingers. She shone him a sassy grin, wide-lipped with pearly white teeth flashing at him.

"I'm just taking into account your poor, poor, tired ol' knees," she quipped, tipping her head back. Full hips gave a slight sway as her right foot went sliding back, followed by the left. A finger hooked between the open space of his shirt, tugging him slightly forward to her.

"Someone seems to get rather ornery with the swing of temperatures if I recall correctly," she teased, just as another soft gust of wind went drifting between over them. Danger let her eyes fall shut at the sensation, lifting her face towards it, wayward strands tickling her cheek and neck. Elysium Station was a wonder of technological constructs, but it would not compare to the sensation of a true breeze.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric leaned forward for just a few seconds, though only long enough to slide his hand slowly up her legs and towards her hips. His fingers settled in place there, gently digging into her as he pulled her back towards him, leaning into his chair. Danger resisted for half a second, but with the way Alric moved it was clear he wasn't going to be leaving his perch anytime soon. "Well..."

The old man began with a smile.

"It's a good thing you're hear to keep me warm." He quickly turned Danger, gentle pressure on her skin seeing her half spin and then quickly pulled into his lap. His arms almost immediately wrapped around her, hands sliding from her hips around her stomach, gently tugging her closer,. "As any good wife would."

He kissed her neck, silencing any objection.

The sun dipped lower, stars beginning to twinkle above them.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Oh you!" Danger would cry out, but with mock affront. She instead settled into Alric's lap, giving a slight chuckle as her shoulders shook. He could be such a silly man when he wanted to. That childish glimmer shining in his eyes.

"Oh is that so?" she'd counter with a quip, only to smile and slightly lean into the brush of his lips by her neck.

A deep content sigh came from her. The sun was already half sinking into the horizon. There was an appreciation of the scenery when one was able to simply just rest. To sit down and take in what was going on in the 'verse.

That had been Danger's problem for years; decades even. She had made work her life. It had consumed her to the point where there had been no other focus. Things had changed since then. She had Alric. Myra. Makai. Judah as well.

Her lips softened, a smile lingering.

"It is quite beautiful here." she say in a murmur, giving Alric a squeeze.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"It is." He said quietly, watching as the sun dipped just below the edge of the valley. There was a sense of coolness that fell upon the land almost immediately after the sun disappeared, not cold, but enough to cause goosebumps to slowly crawl over Danger's skin. He smiled slightly, wrapping his arms right around her and giving her a light squeeze. There was still quite a lot to see and do here, parts of the Valley that Myra and Danger couldn't even possibly imagine.

"There's caves on the northern edge of the Valley." Alric began. "They have underwater lakes in them, luminescent mushrooms."

They were an odd sort of beauty. Some of the surveyors had taken samples of the flaura down there, checking if it was poisonous or otherwise a hazard. Surprisingly they had found just the opposite. The tests had shown that the Mushrooms were actually incredibly nutrient rich and likely sustained some of the local animals. "There's so much here to see, Danger."

The best part was that they owned all of it, for miles and miles.

"So much for Myra to explore." He went on. "Even when she gets older."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Luminescent Mushroom?" a part of her was interested in the flora. That all had to do with PharmaTech and its mission to re-establish endangered botanicals. It also spread into green technology and also the collection of new flora.

"Anything else that they've found?" she asked, a slight shiver rose over Danger at the slight chill. It wasn't too bad, to be honest. It was nice. Although she had no clue just how cold this planet would become come nightfall.

Now that was a concern.

"Just how cold does it get here?" she asked the Tetan, reaching up to stretch her right arm around his shoulders.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Not that cold during the summer." He said truthfully. "The Valley is pretty good at capturing the sun during the hate, and the heat seems to stay for a while."

That of course went the same way for the cold during the winter, but he thought perhaps that the views would make up for that. "During the winter it'll get a bit colder, but like I said, there aren't any storms really. We won't see giant blizzards or huge ice storms."

That was why this world was such a big agricultural planet. The weather conditions here were almost always mild, and even when there was the concessional uptick it wasn't anything compared to the sandstorms of Tatooine or the horrendous blizzards on Hoth. Compared to those things anything that could happen on this world were...well like a mild shower. This planet had no extremes. Some might have found that boring, but Alric had chosen it precisely because he didn't want exciting.

He wanted to raise his family in peace.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"No snow?" One could hope at least. The Ice Manor wasn't a big deal for Danger because they would be able to visit -- and then leave. The Queen of Trade was a native of Tatooine. She was well used to the scorching heat, arid air, and the sensation of having sand baked onto the skin.

"Or ice?" yes, Danger really did not enjoy being cold. Hoth was by far one of the worst planets for her to even visit. If she could avoid it, she would. Her fore and middle finger began to trace idle circles along the nape of Alric's neck.

"Just how much of a drop in temperature are we talkin' about?" she queried. Cold nights on Tatooine weren't so bad. It could become deathly cold in certain parts in the dark of night if one wasn't careful. However, she could stand it just fine because the day would come soon and the Twin Suns would bake it all away.

Long winters, Danger grimaced, were not her definition of fun.

.... although, as Alric had mentioned. Cuddling wasn't too bad after all.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Oh there's snow." Alric said with a smile, pulling her just a bit closer as if the valley was already covered in a thin blanket of white. "Just not a lot of it."

That was relative really.

The storms here were mild to say the least, but sometimes they could last long. There wouldn't be any massive freezing blizzards, but at times there might be a soft fall of snow that lasted nearly a week. The sight was supposed to be beautiful, calming, almost therapeutic in nature. It wasn't like they needed to go outside during those times, wasn't like they even needed to leave The Farm at any time. There was enough food and water to last them years just inside the greenhouse.

"We'll run the fireplaces all winter." He began to slowly kiss her neck.

"Keep every room warm." His fingers caressed her skin. "Make sure you never feel an ounce of snow."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Danger gave a shudder as if she could already feel the cold sinking into her bones. Alric was lucky that he was offering ways to warm her up. Otherwise...

Lips went traversing over her neck, and a shiver ran down her spine. Goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold rose over her skin.

"Mmm, promise?" she quietly cooed out, letting the curtains of her eyes fall into half-slits. He had a way of smoothing over her ruffled feathers, and he knew it. In tandem to his caress, so did her fingers continue her light massage over the nape of his neck.

"I'll hold you to it, you know," she added. It was said with more bark than bite. The last rays painted the sky a rich rust hue, before the indigo of the coming night replaced it. Stars slowly began to dot the sky, twinkling brightly in a stream of scattered stars.

With so little artificial light here, they were able to see the galaxy paint the night sky. Wonder arose in Danger's expression.

"Oh... well you look at that..." she began, giving a nod up to the heavens.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

The stars always had a unique pattern to them depending on what planet you were on. On some worlds you couldn't even see them through all the light pollution, on others you could see the entire galaxy. Constellations changed from world to world, but the stars were usually the same, at least those that hung in the distance. It was odd though. Some that should have been big were small, and some that were small back on Empress Teta seemed to be massive here.

"Not so bad." He said pulling Danger closer.

Perhaps a little colder then she had expected, but once they were inside that would soon be forgotten.

The Farm was so well insulated that Alric was pretty sure they would only have to pay the heating bill once and the rest of the warmth would just stay inside. Part of that was due to the stone construction and the other part were the oddly cozy design choices. The Heat was simply trapped inside. "Is it?"