What Colour is the Sunrise, Mr. Blind? (Gray Raxis)

[Baiko no Kaho]

Concord Dawn was the sort of place Baiko wished she could clip off in a rendering program and recreate. A third of the planet’s biomass missing from some former catastrophe, it still remained part of the Mandalorian Empire as both a bastion of strong warriors, and agricultural growth.

Who knew a planet with a third of it missing could be a breadbasket for a vulcanized and earthquake damaged holy land? Her Captain set down the Myrmadinas outside a particular encampment. Baiko no Kaho, Handmaiden of Clan Mantis and overseer of many indescribable things continued on her mission to solve Mandalore’s hunger and ecological problems.

Upon Concord Dawn were a series of experimental vertical gardens she, through Aditya’s company the Imperial Shipworks R&D section, had commissioned. It was time to see if Yasha’s inheritance was yet again being used in such a way as to save the people the girl seemed overcome to love.

Fully expecting to be crawling between plumbing conduits, Baiko forewent the usually rigid attire she sported in the Sundari Palace. Dressed in linens of grey and white, Baiko’s trousers were loose, her belt low and her blouse was free of her silken, ivory arms. A plasma torch, spanner, and multitool hung in crisp fabric pouches on her thick grey bantha leather belt, while a knife’s handle poked out of her grey boot. The fabrics chosen for comfort and texture, Baiko finished her outfit with an untied colourful hori coat, which slouched over one shoulder, as her raven hair spilled back in a simple braid behind the nape of her neck.

The Concord Dawn atmosphere freed an elegant detachment from Baiko’s spirit. She stepped out from the encampment with the ease of a vacationing woman, who could watch the sunrise unfold from its’ dark sleep.

[member="Gray Raxis"] would meet her here, and they would together venture on. It was, after all, strictly business.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Seemed that [member="Baiko no Kaho"] needed Gray for another matter. He figured after how things went the first time she come to him that she wouldn't want to do that ever again. It had resulted in both the best and worst outcome for her imaginable. But she seemed to want to speak with him so he made sure to be presentable and showed up. Key stayed with the ship this time as the little droid seemed to be convinced someone would steal it and leave Gray trapped planetside for some kind of depraved hunt. He really needed to pay closer attention to the holomovies that little droid watched back home.

Coming up to where they were suppose to meet, Gray was not wearing his armor for the first time since Baiko had known him. He was wearing a pair of leather boots with loose fitting pants that was typical for him to wear while training and a loose shirt that lacked any sleeves. Aside from the boots and his scarf around his eyes, the entire outfit had just been thrown on kind of haphazardly. Appearances were not something important to the blind after all and Gray usually only cared about his clothing when it came to battle and formal events. So likely looking more like a muscular farmhand than an alor with 2 companies, Gray wandered around looking for Baiko. Hopefully he found her soon too because he was pretty sure he was about lost by this point.

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

The sun was barely rising over the horizon by the time Baiko caught the sensation of [member="Gray Raxis"]. On Concord Dawn, Baiko allowed her senses in the Force to unfurl, bathing in the White Current. She ran for a bit, invisible to everything but the flow of the Current.

She rushed around and left the flow to drift back to reality two steps beside the blind Mandalorian. While he couldn’t see the grin on her face, Baiko lived in the assurance that her sensation and presence would burst, a glow of sunlight upon the awakening world of Gray’s living force talents.

“Welcome to Concord Dawn, Alor Raxis. I trust you have yet to wait long?” Baiko touched his shoulder just to ensure him of her proximity. “I have business in the vertical gardens and needed company… And your company to be exact. There is a R&D question to be resolved.”

Leading onward, Baiko’s eyes scanned the horizon. “There are brushes of colours across the sky… it is sunrise in its’ infancy. The wind will dim, and the ground warm as the sun continues up in the sky… would you like to see it, Gray? I cannot thank you for your commitment to teaching Yasha and Kaden, not properly… but I can give you a sunrise.”

 

[Gray Raxis]

The force was leading Gray all over the place. It was strange how it kept constantly changing its mind on where he should go. Normally when he followed it it took him in a more precise, set fashion. After awhile of following it around to no avail, he found himself completely lost. Was anyone even around to help him out? He looked around himself as the force told him to stay. No one was around. He was thinking of leaving just to spite that feeling telling him to stay where he was. But before he actually made up his mind on it, he felt a sudden explosion of aura right next to him. He went to full alert and tensed up, but immediately calmed down as he recognized it as [member="Baiko no Kaho"] and not something hostile.

With a grin, Gray said to her, " I have waited for you my whole life Baiko." His grin turned a little impish and he really wished he could wink without his scarf hiding it. The touch to his shoulder was not necessary, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He had been spending too much time alone lately for his own good. After she mentioned the reason for the visit, he said, " I will do my best then to help. My employees would be better to ask though about things. I just let them do their work and don't interfere too much. Most I do is sell what they make and give them some direction on what we need."

The offer that followed caught Gray completely by surprise. She wanted to show him the sunrise? That was possible. He knew from experience that she was capable of doing something like that for him. A deep craving from within him suddenly flooded to the surface. A desire to see the sight was overwhelming him. The emotion was so strong in fact that it was not possible for Baiko to not be sensing it off him with her hand on his shoulder. He knew she could feel it too. He started to give a reply, but stopped himself. Again he started only to stop himself. He was quiet for awhile but eventually he finally said, " Thank you Baiko for offering. It means a lot to me.... But I can't accept. If I do I don't know if I could.... Thank you." He reached up and placed his left hand on her own. He squeezed her gently then let his hand slide back away. With a slightly forced smile, he said, " Now about keeping you company."

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

Surging inside the White Current, Baiko allowed herself the freedom of running over Concord Dawn. Lost momentarily to her sense of time she rejoiced in the thrill of the waft and weft of the light until returning to Gray.

“Flattery will get you many places, [member="Gray Raxis"]… yet a man of your passionate vigour, however pleasant to look at, will have to work much harder to wake an Echani woman to hers.” Baiko’s lips descended near the shell of his ear, her voice a near-whisper, lips tickling against his skin. With a loose chuckle, she took his arm, guiding him along the appropriate path to a bank of vertical structures, which hummed. Fans somewhere inside turned, the ground levelled out at their feet.

As she walked in silence, her heart pulled at its’ moorings. Gray’s longing to see the sunrise, to see the colours brought by a sun which could only warm his cheeks now was so potent and erudite of his suffering that it slaughtered Baiko’s inner composure. Outwardly, Baiko stopped in place, her hand on his shoulder. Had she less than exceptional control, warm and flagrant tears would have fallen down her gentle face. A simple gift by her standards, little more than a cursory waft of a hand could have given him what his soul longed for over all else.

And therein lied the rub. To give a man that which he desired most, was to make him beholden to you, beholden to the fulfillment of desire. Calloused skin slid along her hand as he held it and squeezed. Baiko could not imprison such a man. She could only offer and guide.

“You do not have to live your entire life blind, Gray. There are always ways to defeat what evil has done. If you ask it of me, I will… I may know of ways to increase your sight. We Fallanassi are passive, we have no aggressive tendencies or powers, but to this? I sense such horror in those eyes and want nothing more than to expunge it from you.” Voice betraying a deeper level of emotion than her usual reserve, Baiko stepped back and opened a door with a hit of her hand on cold metal.

“Pain cries out to me… I always feel it, I always want to help, yet that is not always my place… Yes! We are stepping over a lip on the door and into the Imperial Shipworks Vertical Agriculture Test Facility… on flimsi it is supposed to increase the on-hand consumables supply on long-haul starships. Off flimsi it is my attempt at helping Mandalore solve its’ resource problem.”

Taking Gray over the lip of the door, and into the facility, the balmy air coated their skin with moisture. The sound of the fans was a constant hum, combined with drip-drop-drops of water, and once in a while the splash of fish in a pond.

The smell of moss and dirt. Of sprouting green.

“Your RID is interested in materials. I’ve been attempting to discover some form of heavy duty fabric, but fluctuations in Mandalore’s temperatures are either freezing or burning the roots. I understand if this isn’t your cup of tea, but for Mandalore to produce tea, etcetera, and in the quantities we need, I must figure this out. Here. Hold this.” Baiko handed Gray a multitool, then skipped up and climbed a tower of vertical garden bays.

“Fresh water is a rarity now on Mandalore, so hydroponics would never be sufficient. I’ve been using soil, and an artificial growing medium, both to varying results… Gray if you toss that straight up I can grab it, please.” Allowing her presence in the Force to shine, even the blind while using Force Sense could ‘see’ the white-enrobed shape of Baiko’s form. One leg hooked on the cross bar of the tower, she hung some fifteen feet above Gray’s head.

“Yes… dry rot… these berries won’t survive if I don’t figure out a new containment material. You wouldn’t happen to have any ideas, would you?”

 

[Gray Raxis]

Thankfully the scene of the sunrise was not shown to Gray like he had asked. Much of him still ached for it, but he knew that if he had a thoughtful gift would soon turn into a haunting curse upon his soul. She began to lead him somewhere though, but the topic of conversation was shifted to his eyes. A pang of emotion flared up when she first did. Guilt, suffering, hatred, sorrow. Nothing good was behind it and it was something that ran deep inside of him. It was only there for a brief second before he forcibly buried it once again. He was always aware of it, but he hoped she did not. He just let the conversation go by with silence from him. It was not until they made it to the place she was taking him that he replied. " Thanks. I'll watch out for it."

It seemed that [member="Baiko no Kaho"] had taken him to a research facility for her company. Or was it Yasha's company? He wasn't sure exactly how that all was worked out. For him his companies were an extension of the clan even if people outside the clan worked for them. Any clansman was free to make some extra credits or contribute or test products. It was how he helped to support both them and the companies. That was likely not how it worked with this one though. His approach was far too unique for it to be something anyone else did outside of a workshop. There goals of supporting Mandalore however were the same.

Gray continued to listen to Baiko as he took in the sounds and smells. It was very natural to him. When she handed the multitool to him, he took it and held onto it as she asked. He could see through the force so got a good image of her from the ladder. A fake cough came from him as he began to divert his attention. Why was he doing that? It wouldn't prevent him from seeing it still. When she asked for the tool he tossed it up as easily as if he still had his sight. He had grown so use to using force sight and his instinctive astrogation to live normally. Once she finished speaking though he began to think over her problem.

" I let my designers, engineers, and crafters handle the how for this sort of thing, but we might already have a solution to part of your problem." Gray said to her as he was trying to focus his attention away from her behind. Being a hermit coming back into society was rough. " They just finished designing a new product and we area already making them now. We have biodome shield generators or BDS generators. They can create a completely controlled environment even down to things like moisture, oxygen, and temperature levels. You need two of them to create the minimum diameter shield size of 2 kilometers, but they can be as big as you want them to be by adding more generators. They link up you see to create it and even share data for the atmosphere inside to be maintained properly." He chuckled a bit. " They always go a little overboard on stuff and this time seems they weren't satisfied until they got it to the point that the things can even create a habitable biodome in space. Crazy right?"

Another fake cough came from Gray as he finally just stopped using his force sight. He was starting to stare too much. It took him a moment to get his focus completely back on the task, but he went on. " The only material we currently have is silicar, so just send a list of what you are looking for or need to me and I will get them on it right away. But silicar might be able to help you out as well with your current issue. It isn't effected much if at all by the current environment on Mandalore. Anything short of lava directly on it or someone shooting it with a blaster won't harm do anything. We could create some form of storage or nursery out of it.... I think I will tell them to make a water purifier for extremely contaminated water. That could help out both with the water shortage issue in the cities and offer your company something to use for your food production. What do you think?"

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

There were no heroes in the realm of pain. While Baiko meant to give Gray something immeasurable, she instead discovered a new way to add to his agony. All of the emotions Gray experienced before he shut them off from her were those Baiko remembered from her youth. From the time of fire and the moment she entered her husband's bedchamber to see him on the floor. Barely breathing, barely alive. It was such a simple thing... A foot placed under his shoulder... A nudge... The inevitable choke and vacant eyes.

Baiko knew guilt. She knew sorrow as she knew the feel of her daughter's corpse cuddled in her arms after... There it was, the block which shut her off, which left her mute. Too late to save her daughter from her husband's fatal wrath, too early to allow him to die without her pushing him off the proverbial ledge. Oh yes, Baiko recognized the emotions on Gray's skin. She recognized enough to know never to concentrate on his cybernetic hand while touching it, lest she receive too it's past. There. There was work to be done, and both would do it.

The silence felt like catharsis, a shaken and deeper encouragement of the expression and hopeful future healing of the strain inside. Baiko didn't shy away from the rousing emotions in her body, allowing them their moment in the morning sun. Tragedy and chaos. Sorrow and catharsis. A gift and a receipt. Tendrils of the White Current swathed around her and she let them sink around Gray as an unobtrusive invitation, an introduction to a light so pristine it was as white as fallen snow.

Cin vhetin. Virgin snow, an invitation in ideal for the wandering half-breed and the blind man alike. What was the Mandalorian allure if not for their ability to wipe clean the slate and start again?

“Thank you.” Baiko's voice peppered the air, soft and echoing in the space. Fragrant herbs grew near [member="Gray Raxis"]' head, bright and clarifying. Farther off, the scent of Atrisian lilies and Sakuran roses... The white tendrils wafting around them, as if bathing a favourite few flowers in the comfort of the Light.

For some unknown reason Baiko felt a tickle along the bottom of her waist and lower back. She disregarded the sensation completely, at least the first couple of times it appeared.

“Your silicar may be the answer to my predicament. May I take a sample off your hands? Or wherever else you keep it?” Baiko’s eyebrow raised after Gray’s last cough.

“That would be sufficient. And yes, the water table was so contaminated by the devastation that if given to nature, recovery would take decades. I hope to reduce that by years. I’ll have my engineers and office staff draw up an agreement…” Baiko grunted as she flipped around on the small gangplank-style foot hold at the top. “… ahhh there it is.”

A bit more tinkering and Baiko made an affirmative noise. "Your fabric for my... What would you ask of the Imperial Shipworks? Your BDS generators sound like a form of salvation, my friend. I'd say 'how do they work' but alas, I am a rival, are I not? No, the Shipworks has no business with shields of that nature, but I will purchase some... Perhaps for a gigantic greenhouse, the moon has interesting soil composition, I wonder if anything would grow there? Catch!"

Baiko jumped off the scaffolding, and would either land with a roll or be caught in the man's arms.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray had come to realize something. He realized that the scents of flowers seemed to follow [member="Baiko no Kaho"] whenever he was around her. Was this related to her ability to put images into his head as well or were they truly around them now? Did it even matter? She was tempting his nose either way. Did she always do that or was it just something she did to him because he was blind? He needed to get his mind out of the gutter. First her rear and now this. He was certainly letting his mind run too wild when there was things to do. Even their conversation was on serious matters which gave him all the more reason to focus.

" I have no silicar on me right now, although my hand is lined with it." Gray said then held up his right hand so she could see it. It lacked the synthetic skin that most cybernetic limbs would have around them. Even before he went blind he often wouldn't worry about covering it. It just got in the way and there was no need to hide the fact he had lost it. Many if not most of Mandalore would know how he lost it and why. The hand was colored to look like any other without the synthetic skin, but it had an odd shine about it. It was close to but not quiet a plastic nor crystalline shine. It was more accurate to say it was between them. " Given the nature of the material, it is a little hard to have a sample that could really show it off properly. For your terraforming, my company is already working on it and practically done. They are finishing up the last bits of testing before we begin producing a pair of terraformers. They were built with Mandalore in mind."

As Baiko asked about what Gray would want from the company in return for some of their products, an impish grin crossed his face. He couldn't help himself so he said, " How about a kiss? Does that work for you? If not then I guess a little more than the cost to make them works." He knew he was likely in trouble but he didn't care. It was worth it. " The moon does have plant life as well as a breathable atmosphere. It has been used before in the past, but I don't think anything has been done with it in decades. People seem to forget the moon is even livable on."

Then Gray heard the word catch. Oh no. He quickly held out his arms and took on a stance that could handle the activity. Without using his force sight he was still very much blind and didn't have time to worry about getting it back up. The sensation of her falling into his arms greeted him swiftly. He shifted his balance so he wouldn't drop her and held onto her. His right hand was across her shoulders while his left hand was somewhere it probably shouldn't be. It was on her rear end and he really didn't want to move it. He was definitely going to get slapped by the end of this. He had won a moral victory within himself though by staying a gentleman and not give the firm wonder in his hand a squeeze.

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

“I doubt you want me touching that hand. My mother was a particularly talented Kiffar, and her genes passed down the line. Psychometry is not beyond me, on the contrary… it is a particular skill.” It was best, Baiko realized, to warn him before any impromptu visions or memories surged into her head. “It can, in some places, be an overwhelming ability, but thankfully unless I touch corpses it is controllable. The dead, though… it is as if their spirits desire one more chance to live out their lives and be remembered… takes me a few days to get their memories cleansed away.”

“You’re solving the terra forming, but that won’t solve the harvests by the time people have even more need than this. Yasha is in a terrible spot, having to rely on the Sith Empire to bring in more and more of Mandalore’s foodstuffs. After Dathomir and Khorm, we’re stretched thinner than I think even she knows. No. If we cannot grow our own food for Mandalore, and the Mandalorian Empire, then we will always be beholden to a thinly veiled villain, who seeks only that which will bring him future plenty, and I for one have no love of Zambrano, or his little twat of a son. Ancius… bah! String bean who thinks he’s a pole arm.” Baiko said, before taking the plunge into the air.

“What sort of businesswoman would I be if I paid cost instead of a kiss?” Baiko said, from the bastion of his catch. “An honest one, either way, yet now you’re setting a dangerous precedent. If I kiss you, you might think it is because of the supplies, and if I pay for the supplies, than I could never want to kiss you. Or perhaps in the end you desire only a good slap and a tut from my lips to send you on your way.

“Thank you, Gray. Good catch.” Baiko muffled a grunt and slid her legs to the ground, keeping, for the briefest moment, her arms around his neck. “You are either truly blind, or have fantastic aim.”

Disconnecting, Baiko’s footsteps sounded away from him, a soft moan pursing past her lips. “My roses… it does not matter where I plant them, they always wither before their blooms are full. Rrhhh. I shall have to try again… it’s not selfish to grow roses, you know. They’re useful! Cosmetics, and skin care and flavourings and who am I convincing, the roses, myself or the man who doesn’t care a tot about flowers? Oh Baiko… did you say the moon has plant life and atmosphere already? I had little idea on that… why do people forget the moon is liveable?”

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

It was a little disappointing when Gray had to let Baiko go. Since he had lost his natural sight, the sensations of touch and sound had become all the more important. He just couldn't feel connected to someone unless he could feel and touch them. It didn't matter if it was simple things such as their breath echoing to his ears or a light pressing of the back of hands. All he needed was that physical sensation to feel as if he wasn't alone. He could use the force, but it wasn't the same. Many acted as if the force could do anything and let you experience things beyond what was natural. That wasn't true at all. It was different but it was not better. Maybe it was because he had to be so connected to the force that he was so aware of it's limitations and the forgotten strengths of the natural. In the end no matter what it was, Gray still felt that loneliness come back to him that he would eventually be able to ignore yet again until the next time he and Baiko touched.

The conversation was both playful and serious between Gray and [member="Baiko no Kaho"] it would seem. It felt nice to have someone he could have a moment like this with. It was just nice to be out again. It was something that he owed Baiko for. He hadn't thanked her for it. He gave her a smile. " I think there is a solution to our payment problem you haven't thought of. You could pay in credits and if I do well then you can give me that kiss as a bonus. Or I could just give you that kiss myself for free. Getting the chance to kiss a woman as attractive as you is worth everything I own and more." He wished he could give her a wink. It would have been the perfect time to do it, but instead he settled for placing his hand on her shoulder gently and squeezing lightly.

Letting the playfullness, or perhaps more serious than he admitted, pass, Gray said, " The moon has been used for many things, but it tends to be an after thought. It has been used to store caches of supplies and as a place of exile because it is habitable. It can support agriculture enough for those exiled populations, so why not help with the issues at home as well? No one remembers the moon even though she is a part of mother Mandalore." His grin got impish as he added, " A lot like how everyone forgets about mother Baiko here too. But not me. I remember you both and love the feeling of you in the night." Yet again he wished he could wink at her.

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

How refreshing a day to speak of business and pleasure in single breaths! Baiko forgot that such simple pleasures were possible out of her singular existence. To salvage Yasha, Baiko had been a woman asleep, walking through days without colour, without light. She kept her head down and her mouth quiet, falling back into the position of a gilded flower she had been through her dutiful, yet loveless marriage.

“instead of taking all you have, I shall counter-offer by paying with credits for that which my company takes, and offering the addition of an evening meal, perhaps a kiss if the gentleman is… worthy of a greater bonus.” She watched his hand on her skin, sliding beside him to feel along his arm with the backs of her fingers. wrapping her index and middle finger around his left index finger, Baiko thrilled at the allowance of a small physical connection.

“Then we shall remind the petulant little ones of Mother Manda’yaim… by creating a city on the moon. Filling their stomachs with food from her bower. Perhaps after a full stomach and the warmth of a hospitable bed, they will no longer forget the mother you alone seem to admire.” The gentle gasp and turn of a head, the tilt of a chin. A being of white visible to Gray’s force senses, Baiko’s shoulders tilted up.

“A mother is supposed to work under the radar, gratitude is for only exceptional children.” Shoulder butting against Gray’s, Baiko put her lips by his ear. “In the night… in the day… the tactile sensation of your hands… they are liberating… careful… they may be too liberating, a mother could get used to such liberties.”

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

Things were getting playful in the best kind of way for Gray right now. Baiko and him had made a deal with part of it being that she wanted a date out of him. Oh how his mind was racing through all of the options on where to take her. He planned on getting that reward kiss from her too. It was the only way he could consider the evening a success. As if that wasn't enough, she began to run her fingers up his arm. Pure energy was alive under his skin where her touch lingered. Then she took his finger in her own and he was ready to burst with excitement. He didn't know how serious this woman was about her teasing, but it was enough to get whatever reaction she wanted out of him. It was something she would know as well through their rather intimate contact.

The conversation shifted to the moon and then [member="Baiko no Kaho"] words just.... Gray shuttered with excitement. Her little bump and whisper into his ear. She was messing with him. She was messing with him and he was powerless to stop her. He didn't even want to. A sound escaped his chest ever so softly. It might have been a moan or a grunt or him ohing or some mixture that had never come from him before. Oh she was good, perhaps the best. A stupid excited grin crossed his face that he didn't even realize was there. Was he turning into a young and dumb kid like Kaden right so enchanted by the prospect of what could be rather than what was happening? He had to turn his head away from her and fake a cough to hide his embarrassment and excitement. He definitely did not expect this when he first arrived.

Turning his attention back to her, Gray squeezed her shoulder more firmly than before but in a gentle, caring way. His other hand wrapped around her lower back just above her delightful behind. " Is that such a bad thing? Doesn't a mother deserve to have such liberties for all she does? I certainly would consider it a pleasure to give her it every single day." Did he dare do what he did next? That was a silly question. Of course he did. He leaned in close as if to kiss her. But right before their lips touched he stopped. Backing away ever so slightly, he added, " Does she want to take some more liberties?"

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

Sinking to her haunches beside the roses, Baiko plucked one and put it to her nose.

“A true mother’s flower buds exclusively for the best of men, [member="Gray Raxis"].” Baiko then slid the rose under his nose, folding his fingers, which were on her shoulder around the thorn-less stem. His other hand on her lower back sparked with a series of small thrills across her back and down the swell of her backside. Stomach pressing against him, Baiko’s lips twitched into a smile and she set her forehead onto his cheek.

“You offer no bad thing... I would enjoy liberties... from such a worthy man as you.” Her heart thudded across her rib cage, lips drifting carefully, hesitantly close to the man’a jaw, his smirking mouth.

Should she stop? Return to the dutiful servant, who handles all business but her own? For a breath, Baiko felt excitement, the libertine idea of this Mandalorian knight that she could be both mother and consumer of life’s joys. “If you would have me...”

 

[Gray Raxis]

This woman was good at playing with Gray. Far too good. Every movement she made from her toying with the rose to her pressing herself into him to every single word she spoke pushed him further and further towards his limit. He had always enjoyed being playful and flirty even if it was mostly harmless. He had always enjoyed having someone else be both with him even more. [member="Baiko no Kaho"] was being both in the best possible way and after months of isolation his defenses to her teasing was weak. Certainly he had pushed things with her on his own end before and even now, but this was just too much for him. Hopefully she didn't think too poorly of him after as he was at his limit.

Gray squeezed Baiko with the arm around her waist as he said, " Silly question. Of course I will." He leaned down to kiss her lips with more passion than he had done the times before. The rose dropped to the ground as his hand found its way to the side of her face. Everything about him was gentle and firm all at once. If she wanted to stay within his embrace she could or she could push him away and easily be free of him. It was all her own choice. There was no forcing her to do anything with him. He just wanted whatever she was willing to allow him to have. It could be just this moment or many more. His heart just pounded and felt full of life as he hoped she would accept him.

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

Hard hands pressed her in, allowing for a release at any moment she asked it of him. The great debate of motherhood rested not in how many children, or how best to raise them, but in the amount of resources set aside for her own wellbeing. Here came [member="Gray Raxis"], swooping in on her request to save the Mando’ade’s two strangest warriors, who on the heel of his tutoring of Yasha and Kaden, pulled at her as well.

Was it right or noble to take this man on his word? Should she leave his energy to tending the Mando’ade, and his Clan Raxis flock?

A strong arm wrapped around a lonely woman’s waist, pulling her close in a way that Baiko had previously never experienced. He smelled like earth and leather and linen, his beard brushed her skin, lips tender and yet rough underneath. Baiko’s eyes dimmed.

Mother Mandalore deserved all good things.

The children wouldn’t mind…

… a flustered and heated face pulled back from Gray after the drips of mist from the spray hydration system clicked on. Gasping from the rush of the water on her skin, Baiko grabbed Gray’s hand and ran out of the vertical garden with a laugh.

Curious thing, the loss of a man’s eyes. To an Echani the ability to see, to read body language was tantamount to heaven. Baiko’s body moved and he could but touch it, sense her motions, the responses and tone of her muscles under his touch, but he could not see her.

To take a man like Gray Raxis to bed was to remove a piece of her gift to him, to lie in perpetual silence until his force sight could glean, or her White Current could portray, or his hands could learn her true unadulterated language.

Rushing to the grass of Concord Dawn, Baiko pressed the back of her hand against her lips and watched his face, his body. Mandalorians hid encased, lived their lives insular and private.

An Echani never lied, for their bodies could not. An Echani lived eternally exposed to their brethren. Yet for Gray, Baiko would come closer, she would allow his hands to roam and learn her, as his force sight caught up. Free of the soaking wet of the vertical garden, Baiko let go of his hand, and quirked her head to the side. If only she could show him the sunrise, she could also show him herself.

“Take me somewhere, Gray. Our deal is struck, my engineers will speak with yours, and this idea of the moon… can you feel the sun on your face, Gray? Warm and resplendent… as welcome as your kiss. Take me somewhere… anywhere. Let us be free for a time.”

 

[Gray Raxis]

They were both into the kiss. Gray was not able to think straight. All that was on his mind was the moment they were in and letting it go wherever it may. She seemed to want that too. He cared for this woman already even if he couldn't call it love yet. This was conveyed in the way he held her and pressed his lips onto her own. Everything told her that she was free to accept or decline anything with him. He was not trying to dominate or control only experience something together. It was pure connection that destroyed loneliness.

Everything was shattered as water began to pour over the pair making out like some horny teens. The kiss was broken and then [member="Baiko no Kaho"] was took Gray's hand to lead him out of the place with her. She was laughing about it and despite the complete disappointment he felt he also smiled a bit with a chuckle. His mind was shocked back into alertness and his sense began to return as they fled. How far were they about to go with each other? He had just gotten divorced before this meet up and was living out of his ship yet again despite his personal wealth and status. He should be focusing on more important things and showing this woman more respect than just easing his loneliness with her. No, she deserved to be romanced and courted properly not made out with in a shed like two kids promising to elope together with no plan to follow through.

Once outside, Baiko spoke to him. Gray turned his attention from his inner thoughts to her. She wanted to know if he could feel the sun then compared it to his kiss. Welcome. She called it welcome. Was she okay with that earlier? He was being too hard on himself. She didn't feel disrespected and he hadn't it seemed. But she was right about one thing. He needed to take her somewhere and slow things down a bit. He certainly was interested in her and she seemed to be able to get past some of his walls. This needed to be done right and proper. With a warm grin, he said, " I can feel the sun, and it reminds me of you. Warmth that provides life and chases the chill of darkness away.... There was a town not far away. Why don't we go get something to eat? Not sure how it will be but anywhere with you will be nice. Sound good to you Baiko?" He held out his arm for her if she was willing to take it. There were people with manners on Mandalore. It was just something that needed the right time and place and woman for it to be worth it.

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

How unexpected and pleasant it was to be kissed by a passionate, and thoughtful man. He took nothing she did not offer, restraining and yet inviting in a tandem play of grace and power. Baiko allowed herself to unfurl, opening in a banishment of the loneliness she was consumed by on Mandalore. Kissing Gray was like kissing a sun, taking its' energy and powering further passions. Delight, utter and all consuming delight.

Baiko’s hand slid around [member="Gray Raxis"]’ arm. She sighed in a roused contentment, feeling for the first time, an utter lightness of being where another person was involved.

Her cheeks burned from the nerves left over from kissing him. Taking the moment to breathe, Baiko began to walk them toward the village. The curl of her hand on his arm, the pressing of her shoulder against him and lightness of her feet upon the soil spoke of an ease of being. A lightness and joy.

There was a tenderness to the way her fingers folded on his skin, which bespoke of hopeful beginnings, and the future of continued passions. “You think I am the sun, and the Mother. Your opinion of me continues to rise, Gray. Soon I shall be the universe herself… Pardon my flighty voice… I have not shared such a kiss in… some… some time.” Pressing her hand on her hot cheek, Baiko dipped her temple onto Gray’s shoulder as they walked.

The town was indeed not far, and soon they came to it. Along the way, the woman discovered a peace which denied reason. Being beside Gray held a potential which expressed even in the way they moved. “If the company remains as pleasant as it is now, then I forsee a beautiful meal and vigorous exercise after it… my libertine.”

 

[Gray Raxis]

Baiko was just too much for Gray. She just somehow knew what to say to him in just the right way to keep his interest. And then there was that mention of the vigorous exercise. It got another fake cough out of him as he contained an excited shutter. With her arm now in his own, he began to head towards the town they probably both landed their ships in. Key was no doubt having fun with its holodramas and romances by now. When did that astromech pick up a taste for them anyways? And why? Hard to say but it didn't matter because hopefully Gray could get a little romance to go with all the drama the Mandalorians had faced lately himself.

As they came into town, there was one place that was nice. It was a steak house with semi-private rooms. There was some walls with glass for the top half all around it and an opening for a door. The tables were sturdy and solid with chairs much the same with comfort added in. All in all it was pleasant and very fancy for a little farming town. They were shown to their seats and asked about drinks, " Whiskey and water please." He waited for [member="Baiko no Kaho"] to order her drink. " Nice enough place. What do you think?"

 

[Baiko no Kaho]

“Oh, Gray. I must give you something for that cough. I hear a good steam relieves congestion.” Baiko smirked as she said it, eyebrow raising at his ‘cough’. The friendly game they were engaged in continued on with Baiko’s many victories. She would make him blush. She would make him squirm until he was uncontainable and rushed into another series of physical behaviour they only stopped from the spray. By the time they got to town, Baiko was for the most part, dry.

Baiko slid into the booth and sat across from [member="Gray Raxis"]. She held his hand, stroking the back of his palm with two of her other fingers. “Blossom wine and water, please… leave the bottles.”

He couldn’t see the playfulness in her face, which for an Echani stung. He could feel her skin, hear her voice... she continued to hold his hand and scanned the menu. “This place is quaint, lovely. The bantha steak looks delicious. Mushroom and roasted veg on the side. There’s a special, which looks like some kind of meat pie... hmm.” Going over the menu item by item, Baiko in her way attempted to alleviate Gray’s disability. The waiter returned with their drinks, and asked for their orders, then disappeared.

Baiko sipped her wine, regrettably having to let go of Gray’s hand to do so. “How do you feel being a father, Gray? Is Yasha a good daughter for you?”

 

[Gray Raxis]

The little game Baiko was playing with Gray was certainly going the way she wanted it to. Every little word and action of her's was pushing him closer and closer to the tipping point yet again. He wanted to be a gentleman and show her some respect but she was bound and determined for him to be a dashing rogue. Why not give it to her then? Oh right, Yasha saw her as a mother. He couldn't risk hurting Yasha like that if he screwed things up royally with Baiko. Wait, didn't that mean he planned for there to be something with her if he was worried about what might happen if he screwed up? Best to think about that later....

The waiter seemed to notice the way that [member="Baiko no Kaho"] was holding Gray's left hand. A little smile came to their face as they got the drink order written down and left. She was reading off the items on the menu for him knowing he couldn't see what was written there. It was sweet of her to do, but his attention was more on her touch and the sound of her voice than on her exact words. It was just comforting and not something he expected to find following his time in the cave. He thought it would be like that. Isolation, serenity, uncertainty, echoes. That was what he thought, but this reality with her was different. He kept the serenity but the rest just seemed to vanish. Was it because of her abilities with the White Current or was it just her? Another thing to think about later. The waiter had returned.

Gray ordered the steak medium well and picked up his glass of whiskey. Was she wanting to get him drunk? So many questions for him right now. He gave her a warm smile as he held the glass in his right hand and took her hand again with his left. He began to idly trace nothing and everything into her palm with one finger while he massaged her skin with the rest. He wanted that connection and serenity he felt when they touched. " It feels strange in a good way being a father now. I have always wanted kids just thought they wouldn't be 20 when I did." He chuckled a bit to himself. " My dad said something to me when I was a teen. 'It isn't about you being a good kid or not but if I'm being a good dad or not.' That is how I feel about Yasha. She will always be a good daughter to me no matter what and I will always be proud of her. I just worry if I am being a good dad or not for her. What do you think? You know her better than I do and get to spend more time with her."