Take Off The Mask

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Myra attempted to offer the older Tetan a smile. She suddenly didn't feel so good either. Her tummy felt weird and her head seem to spin. Why was it so bright now? Her tiny little hand curled tighter around Alric's own, and she seemed to press herself against his side as if she could disappear. The youngling was worried. Was he hurting because of her? Did helping her out of the river yesterday make him worse? It was all painted in her large grey eyes, a guilt ridden pallor upon that little girl's face.

"Now, with that said, I'll have Dr. Mofet can come in." That was the pediatrician. "Unless there is anything else?" he asked, writing tiny little notes on his portable datapad. It contained the medical file of Alric Kuhn, along with several other annotated notes about his condition. Personally, he believed that the man was being unusually stubborn. Why would he carry himself out in pain for the rest of his life?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"That'll be it Doc." Alric said simply.

He really wanted to get this all done with.

As soon as they got the all clear on Myra they could head out and do their own thing again. He was looking forward to traveling a bit, more so when they got their own custom ship. He'd been needing a vacation for something like twenty years now, or thats what it seemed like anyway. The doctor gave him a nod, then a short bow to Danger, Alric perked an eyebrow at the latter motion but decided he wouldn't ask any questions, lest he get annoyed.

"It'll be alright honey." Alric said squeezing Myra's hand. "My appointment went quickly, yours will too."

He gave the little girl a reassuring smile, and she returned the gesture, though her own smile was noticeably much smaller. She gave her father a shy look, then gave the same to Danger. The trio waited in the office for a few moments more, and then there was a knock at the door. "Come on in Doc."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The encouragement managed to soothe the little girl a bit, but she didn't seem to garner more color to her face. Eyes wide, Myra caught sight of the blue skinned woman with large yellow eyes. Dr. Mofet was a Wroonian, as distinguished by her cerulean skin and the canary yellow of her eye color. A species that the little girl hadn't seen before. The momentary stun managed to quiet the little girl, as her gaze followed the smiling woman as she entered the room.

"Good afternoon Mr. Kuhn and Mrs. Arceneau." she extended her hand over to Alric first since he was the closet. They shook hands and then the same was done to Danger.

"I am Dr. Mofet." her smile broadened and she peered down at Myra. "You must be Myra, hmm?" in response, the little girl buried herself along Alric's side. The woman gave a soft laugh, indicating that it was alright.

"It's okay, it is a pleasure to meet you." Taking out her datapad from her cloak, she sat herself down. "I hear you haven't been feeling well, anyway you can tell me what is going on?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric looked at Myra, the little girl looked up at him. It was almost comical really, but eventually Alric smiled, trying not to laugh. Danger of course knew what was going on, though the good Doctor was probably slightly confused. Myra was...beyond a little shy. She had yet to say a word even around Alric and Danger, a stranger? That would be about as likely as a star suddenly springing into life in front of them. So instead of forcing Myra to speak Alric answered for her.

"She fell over rather unexpectedly a day or so ago. Our medical droid stated that she had a minor concussion, but suggested we get more tests." The doctor nodded as Alric spoke.

This was the part that he hated.

Myra of course knew what 'tests' meant. She had undergone some when they'd originally brought her home, mostly to ensure that she was physically okay, and Alric didn't really want her to undergo that once more. There was no helping it, but...well that didn't mean he liked it. He felt Myra squeeze herself against him, as though she could make herself disappear. "Try and take it easy okay Doc?"

Dr. Mofet nodded, rolling her chair back to take out some instruments.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Take it easy. For Danger, watching anything that would alarm Myra would also affect her. Much like Alric had attempted to soothe her, so did the Queen of Trade by bringing up her hand to gently cafune through the dark locks of the little girl.

"It's alright sweetheart," she cooed, leaning in close to show her a smile. "Just a couple of tests that's all. We'll be right here through it all." turning to the doctor, Danger gave a small nod for Mofet to continue. In her hand she had a small lifeform scanner, used to take readings. She also had a small white square in her hands. Danger recognized it as a BioTech patch from PharmaTech. It was a method of being able to record vitals and several other monitored signs through a small gold patch that lay on the skin much like a sticker.

"I'm going to put this on your arm Myra, okay?" Dr. Mofet told the little girl, leaning forward to show her that it was just a small sticker. "It is like a sticker. We put it on your arm and it gives me all your vital signs and monitors you."

Just a sticker? Myra bit her lower lip. That didn't seem so bad. After giving a questioning glance over at Alric, he encouraged her with a low murmur to say it was okay. Tentatively, the youngling held out her hand for the doctor to carefully place the patch upon her arm.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"I'm jealous." Alric said with a smile, gently stroking Myra's hair.

He wondered briefly if medical tech made a lot of money, though the question was quickly forgotten.

At times he still had that business instinct kick in, like an involuntary reflex one couldn't quite get rid of. He tried his best of course, but sometimes it simply kicked in. In this instance he watched as the small dot was placed on Myra, the doctor immediately rolling back and beginning to check scans. "Shh."

Alric said quietly.

A few moments passed, and the doctor's expression seemed to change. Alric wouldn't quite call it fear...but...well it was something else. He frowned for a moment and then looked over to Danger, worry creasing his face. Myra didn't seem to quite notice yet, instead being distracted with the small medical device attached to her skin.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

One had to give Dr. Mofet credit; at the very least she attempted to evoke a bearing of calm. However, decades of reading folk over the boardroom table meant that Danger was able to pick up on the subtle nuances that would tell another tune all together.

The pit of her stomach clenched.

"I would like to run a few more tests," she added, moving towards a chair to sit down. From there she set down her tablet and slide out a holographic keyboard.

"A bit more invasive, but we will do our best to ensure little Miss Myra is okay."

"What sort of tests?" this came from Danger, the furrows of her brows pinching as they drew together.

"Some blood work." oh that would be a doozy. Myra wasn't too keen on needles. The first time they took her to the doctor after they rescued her off of Dromund Kaas had been an experience in the wake of the tragedy that had occurred to Myra's parents. It was no wonder why the little girl had been so wary.

"Alright..." although a glance would be spared between Alric and Danger. They were both not comfortable with the situation. The gravity of it all would not sink in until an hour later when the doctor requested their presence alone for a moment.

When the news came that Myra's immune system was deteriorating for an unknown reason, they both knew that things would forever change.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Hold still." Alric said quietly as he continued to slowly weave Myra's hair together, his tongue half stuck out and his finger diligently working to make sure that the braid came out the correct way. He hadn't done this in years, though it wasn't a skill that you really forgot.

Lily and Rose had always loved to get their hair braided, and because of Silara's position as Empress she hadn't always had the time to do the girls' hair. As a result of course Alric had been taught how to do it, at least until the Twins had been old enough to do it for themselves. The memories were pleasant ones, and he'd never really minded doing it. Of course it now came in handy since Myra was about the same age as the twins had been back then. Perhaps he'd have to share it on spacebook. A small smile touched his lips.

"Okay." He said quietly as he tied the small bow at the end of the braid. "That should do it."

Hopefully it would stay.

Several weeks had passed since their trip to Artemis Station, the little vacation having done rather well for Myra and Danger too. His wife had gotten to distract herself a little bit with work, and Myra got to look at something else that most would have thought impossible. The situation was a win win really, though of course Alric already had something else planned. This time it was more for Danger than it was for Myra, though the little girl would be just a shappy about the situation.

He smiled as his daughter turned on her heel. "Go show Mom."

Alric said, ushering the little girl forward. Myra let out a giggle, then rushed out of the living room.

The Tetan took a second to simply breath, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes, a small smile passed on his lips.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Danger heard the pitter-patter of feet head her way, the click-clack of long claws against polished floors following closely after. Mister Tuggles, of course, was a constant companion to the little girl. Upon the onset of her illness, he rarely ever left her side. No, they were constantly traveling together. It became a familiar sight, the enormous Tuggle naught but fifty centimeters from her side. More often than naught Danger caught the Tuggle sleeping curled up against Myra, an image that tugged at her heart.

Bright green eyes arose from the carved wooden Dejarik board in front of her. She'd been studying her next move, considering each advantage and disadvantage. A master player had to consider several steps ahead. It had been a while since she'd taken to selecting a move. A rising need to keep her mind busy. This was one of her past times that she enjoyed.

Smiling, Danger caught sight of the little girl rushing over to her. Myra had lost some weight, a little bit paler, but she was adjusting to the treatment. For now at least. It was a positive turn of events after so many failures. The doctors had warned Alric and her that it may not last, her illness still an unknown anomaly. All Danger cared was that their little girl was able to smile again.

"Hey darlin'" Danger cooed, laugh lines crinkling as her smile broadened at the sight of the little girls braids.

"Well now... aren't you a pretty little thing!" she exclaimed, motioning for the little girl to give a spin.

"Now don't your hair look so nice. I'm gonna have to figure out what your secret is there to get it done so pretty."

Myra could only give a giggle in answer, preening under the praise.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He felt tired. Worn out.

They both did, he and Danger. There was good reason for it of course. Raising a little girl was difficult enough at their age, hell it was difficult when you were young. Even though Myra was relatively well behaved it was still quite a curve-ball to have her here. Alric wouldn't trade her for anything of course, but that didn't mean it was any easier. Couple that with the disease she had? Well things became even more stressful. They didn't blame her of course, never would or could, but it was still hard.

It wore down on the both of them, and slowly it was beginning to show. The truth was neither Alric nor Danger were well prepared for handling this kind of emotional drain. They could take on the collapse of a company, the rebuilding of a star system, pretty much anything, but watching their daughter fight an illness like this? That wasn't something either of them had ever prepared for, it wasn't something they should have prepared for. That made it all the harder.

The old Tetan reached up and ran his hands over his face.

"Alright." He said quietly to himself.

Alric knew all of this of course. He knew that Danger was slowly grinding herself down to a nub, knew that pretty soon they'd both crack under the pressure. Neither he nor Danger were invincible, and as much as they liked to think so, they weren't getting any younger either. That really left only one thing to do, they needed a break. A small little vacation away from their troubles, something that neither of them had since Myra had come into their lives.

It had taken a lot of planning, a lot of careful maneuvering, but Alric was positive he could pull it off. "Honey?"

He called to Danger, mostly because he was crippled and didn't want to walk.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The sound of Alric's summon drew Danger's attention, the woman smoothing over Myra's plaited hair.

"Oh, reckon someone wants our attention, hmm?" Danger mulled aloud with a faint twitch at the corner of her lip. The little girl gave a giggle in acknowledgment, nodding her head. Mister Tuggles took to bumping his head against Danger's thigh, almost knocking over the pieces of her Dejairk board.

"Oh, you silly mutt!" the woman would chide, pushing the Tuggle's blocky head back.

"Go on, head on back before you knock everything over." a small laugh then the stretch of her legs. Coming to her feet, Danger sent her hand sliding alongside Myra's frail shoulder.

"Let's see what he wants?"

The Tuggle went trotting off, his thick white tail wagging as he attempted to keep up with Myra. With a shake of her head, Danger followed behind them, reaching the Tetan in his study a few seconds after.

"Oh, what are you doing all holed up in here for?" she teased, moving up close to Alric to press a kiss upon his cheek.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"I'm old." He informed his wife. "I need to hide away sometimes."

Accurate enough. Usually he had energy for days at a time, but well even he could only go so long without needing at least some form of rest. It wasn't like Myra was all that difficult to take care of, but still. He smiled at his wife and then patted the couch cushion next to himself. His arm half wrapped around her to ensure that she wouldn't get distracted and wander off somewhere.

Danger had a tendency to do that.

She didn't meant anything bad by it of course, his wife just had a tendency to try to do everything at once. Multi-tasking was one of her strong points and probably why she had been so succesful throughout her career as an executive. This just wasn't the place for it, not right now anyway.

"I have a surprise for you." He told her quietly. "Just for you though."

Usually as of late his surprises had been for both Myra and his wife, this time it was a bit different.

Mostly out of necessity.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Hands went wrapping around her full hips, drawing the woman close to the warmth of Alric's own. Amused, Danger rose both brows, curious and a bit intrigued on just what her husband was onto. The unique spicy scent of the occational vaporizer he smoked would tickle her nose. Chocolate cherry was it?

"Oh?" Danger brought her arms up, snaking under his arms and around his ribs to lean into his embrace.

"And just what might that be?" her voice fell an octave as if sharing a secret. Mister Tuggles on the other hand, was demanding attention from the little girl. He trotted alongside Myra, nudging at her to follow him to where his toy would be so she could toss it.

The Tetan was rather in tune towards Danger's emotional state. Perhaps more so now than decades past. He did his best to show her just how much he loved her and appreciated her. He also was rather concerned that her time was slipping back into the company again. Myra's sickness had arisen a sense of futility and helplessness that the normally in control Queen of Trade had trouble adjusting to.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"I've talked to Rose." One of his other daughters who usually spent her time traveling the outer rim and Wild Space. "She's going to come to The Farm."

It still amused Alric endlessly to call their home a farm when it was anything but. This place was the size of a palace, and sat on enough land to be considered as such. As much as Alric liked to pretend he and Danger were about as far away from farmers as anyone could have been, though that of course didn't stop him from being amused about it. The Tetan smiled and pulled Danger just a little bit tighter. Perhaps at first she wouldn't like this idea, but Myra was getting older and Alric thought it would be alright.

"She's going to watch Myra for a few days." Three to be exact.

That was long enough for them to actually get away, but not long enough for Myra to begin panicking. She would be with Rose who had plenty of ways to distract the little girl, plus Myra was growing older and if they explained to her what was going on she would more than understand.

It wasn't that they were leaving, it was that she was going to have a fun weekend with her sister. If they phrased it right the little girl would probably push them out the door.

"We." He began. "Will be taking a trip to Vineta."

The luxury city that had been built by Vanir. Neither of them had ever actually visited it, not since it's construction. "It's a two hour hyperspace trip away in one of our fast shuttles, so if anything happens we can come right back."

He knew that would be important to her.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The Tetan would see the expression of confusion bathe Danger's face as he spoke. There was first wariness, then confusion, alarm, and then a pleasant surprise.

"Vineta?" the high-tech retreat had been one of their joint ventures earlier one. It was a spectacular and luxurious city, built by Vanir Technologies to mimic all of the wonderous things of Zeltros but with a classier, and a far more refined theme to it.

Her jaw fell open only to close it shut. Part of her was thrilled. The thought of being able to get away, to relax, to be with Alric alone again thrilled her. But a glance to Myra also indicated that she was also still very much concerned about the little girl. Rose would, of course, do her best to look after the youngling, but there was still that lingering nag that she shouldn't be away from Myra for too long.

"Are you sure?" she began, biting at her lower lip.

"Myra's only doing a bit better..." what if something were to go wrong and they weren't here?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Rose can take care of her." Alric insisted.

His daughter was more than old enough to babysit, and Rose was responsible, smart, and capable. She could handle Myra, and if something happened they were only two hours away. That was close enough for them to be there for any emergency, and if something big really did happen than they wouldn't really be any more help to Myra than Rose would be. It also helped that due to her exploration with GUIDE Rose had received some minor medical training.

Not much, she certainly wasn't a doctor, but she definitely knew more than Alric. "Myra will love it."

Alric was positive of that.

"We need some time off." He said as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. "We'll always be here for Myra, but sometimes Parents have to get away too or things just sort of spiral."

Not to mention that this was a good opportunity for Myra to grow a little bit too. If they spent her entire life doting on her because she was sick then she'd just become cooped up and scared of everything. Rose would be quite a bit of help with that. He was sure his daughter had something planned already that neither he nor Danger would approve of but Myra would love. Still, Alric knew that Rose would never allow Myra to get hurt in anyway.

He trusted her to do this, otherwise he wouldn't have set it all up.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

He was right. They did need some time off. Time away. The stress from Maile's sickness was wearing them both, and if they continued like this, then odds were that things may very well get tense between them as well.

Alric was only looking out for their own well-being and their own health. It was just hard for Danger to really be able to pull herself. away.

A deep breath filled the woman's lungs, Danger's hand reaching over to gently enfold Alric's with her own, feeling his embrace wrap her whole. Snuggling in, Danger set her head against his shoulder, the strands of auburn tickling under the crook of his neck.

"I know." she replied quietly. Biting her lower lip, Danger ruminated over the offer.

"For how long?" she inquired.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Just three days." The trip would only be taken over the weekend. The journey to Vineta was two hours long and they would leave tomorrow morning. Rose was arriving tonight and that would mean everything could be set up quickly. "Tomorrow morning we'll go."

He explained quietly.

"Rose is going to show up tonight, and she'll explain to Myra whats happening with us there." It was a tactic in truth, and they were sort of manipulating Myra into believing that she was the one getting a vacation from her parents, but thats what you had to do with Kids. You had to make them believe that they were getting a treat, not that they were the problem and you needed to get away from them for a few days otherwise you'd explode.

"We can start packing then." He kissed the top of her head. "If anything is wrong we'll be back here in a flash."

That was a promise.

Alric would be just as concerned if something did happen to Myra, but he trusted his daughter to hold down the fort.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Three days. They could do three days. It wasn't a week nor was it too short to not be able to enjoy time away. With a deep breath, Danger gave Alric a smile.

Myra would enjoy spending time with Rose. In fact, the youngling enjoyed hearing the stories of the younger woman's wanderings. The past year has seen Rose explore the Outer Rim and the Wild Regions. Some time with Myra would do them both good.

"Alright." Danger finally agreed, reaching for the elder Tetan's hand. Her fingers went curling over the weathered ones of her husband.

"Although I've a notion you just want to keep me all to yourself for a few days."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"So?" Alric asked her with a smile. "Why is that a bad thing?"

The two of them hadn't gotten any real alone time for what seemed like an age. Sure they had those rare moments where Myra was asleep or doing something else, they stole a second every now and again when they could. Alric would grope Danger's behind whenever he could, but it just wasn't the same. They were adults, they were married, and they needed time to be by themselves. They had given Myra everything and would continue to do so.

Three days away would be good. "We need it."

He told her quite simply.

"I need it." His hands slipped around to her backside. "Need you."