Caught in a Public Affair : The CEO + The Mermaid

[Judah Dashiell]

Ceto Inquirer ​

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CEO's Wife & Child Beg : Please Don't Go! ​

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Just days following their happy jaunt to the beach, it seems there is trouble brewing in the once tranquil waters for the Dashiell family. Judah Dashiell, Owner and CEO of Salacia Consolidated, was recently seen at the local spaceport loading up the once-happy family's transport. Unknown crates of mysterious goods entered the back hold as the CEO chose to do most of the work himself, stripping down to an undershirt and oil-stained trousers. It appeared at one point he acquired a splinter from the wood, causing Judah to stop and find a pair of gloves.


Where was [member="Thessa Kai"] during all of this? Sources spotted the semi-retired Flight Captain out about town, their young child on her hip. Miss Kai seemed to be drowning her sorrows with a bit of retail therapy. First a stop to Little Neptune , an upscale clothing boutique for local celebrity children. After buying a new rash guard for her son(perhaps for a far-flung beach vacation sans baby daddy?), Thessa was seen entering a furniture store. While the Galan did not emerge with any items, sources can confirm an order was placed for furniture -- only to be delivered off planet. Could Thessa be starting a new happy home without Judah?

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Sentients Holomagazine​

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CEO to Wife : Thats Not My Baby! ​

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Spotted recently near his home on Honu Island, it appeared Judah Dashiell was in a bit of a fluster this past Thursday. Arriving in the luxury speeder once purchased for his wife, [member="Thessa Kai"] , the CEO quickly dashed into a local pediatricians office with his son. Sources watching the pair reported that nearly an hour and a half went by before they exited once more. Just why was the local CEO at the pediatricians with his son? Was the adorable young lad sick? Could there be a terrible defect with the child?


No, say sources. Insiders close to the family report Judah has harbored doubts about the paternity of his son since the young boy was born. Trouble started when Judah wanted to name the boy Mordecai, apparently after a long line of strong men named Mordecai in his family. The then hugely-pregnant Thessa put her foot down, demanding the child be raised in a traditional Galan manner and have a name suiting to such. Sources report Judah has been fuming ever since! According to reports, the decision not to name the boy Mordecai has put off red flags, signalling the only heir to the Salacia Consolidated fortune may not be entitled to it after all.



Judah had picked the holomagazine off the rack while waiting in the checkout line of the grocery store. Some elderly Selkath woman in front of him was arguing over the price of squid and causing the line to back up. His items on the belt, there was no way he could move. Makai sat in the little seating portion of the cart, staring up at him with sky-blue eyes. Judah waved the magazine slightly, as if to indicate it to his son.


"Can you believe this trash thinks I wanted to name you Mordecai? We don't even have any Mordecai's on the Dashiell side of the family. I think a few Malachi's though....can't be for certain." Judah reached up and put the holomag back, grinning. He ruffled the thick curls on Makai's head, causing the boy to giggle. "Wait til we go home and tell your Ma, huh? She may not find it so funny though."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Ceto Inquirer ​

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Shocking Love Affair! ​

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It seems the CEO with the wandering eye it at it again. Judah Dashiell was recently spotted in the capital city of Sobek with one [member="Danger Arceneau"] .Reports say the two were quite cozy at the local nighttime hot spot, Seven Kitchen & Lounge. The pair was seated off in a quieter area of the hard-to-book restaurant, engaged in an intense conversation. On lookers say the pair only had eyes for one another as they meandered through a three-course meal, ignoring all others around them. At one point Judah Dashiell pulled out a datapad for Danger Arceneau to view. A waiter interviewed by the Ceto Inquirer reported the datapad was full of images of homes and various real estate holdings. Is Judah looking to set his mistress up with a brand new home closer to Ceto?


After their meal was through, Judah escorted Danger back to the ritzy Peninsula hotel. Reports indicate he was inside for less than ten minutes before leaving for the evening. Apparently Miss Arceneau prefers speedy service from her boy toys! No doubt it is the last spotting we've seen of the pair.

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She frowned and dumped the gossip section of the holopaper into the recycle-bin. She shifted Makai to her other arm and bounced him up and down lightly. A huge grin spread on his face as a glob of drool slowly slid out of the side of his mouth.

She called to Judah in his study.

"You know what the worse thing is about this trash they publish? They think I shop at upscale boutiques. That's absolutely ridiculous."

Even with their income, Thessa Kai was a penny-pincher. Making due for so long in the Rebellion on a little more than nothing was an old habit to break. Besides, off-brand clothes were just as good as brand-clothes.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


Judah had wandered into his study at her call, wondering what the commotion was about. A smile graced his features at the sight of his wife and son. Maybe they were planning something. Judah did have a mild itch to leave Ceto for a few weeks and sprawl out on some other warm patch of sand. Just....get away from some of the recent events. Not that he was suggesting the 'vacation house' off in Free Space. Not if he wanted to be a happy man.


"So the fabrications about my cheating life style are fine, so long as they mention you use coupons when we head to the grocery?"


Amusement danced in his eyes, finding the entire situation surreal. Judah moved closer and kissed her temple lightly. This was all new to them. Something certainly not wanted. Although he supposed everything could be worse. All they could really do was joke about it.


"So, you're leaving me huh? Taking the boy too?"

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

With a straight face, she looked her husband in the eyes as Makai's spit-glob made a successful touchdown on her shoulder.

"You knew this was coming."

Free-hand reached forward, fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt at the collar. She pulled him closer, aqua-lips just a teasing distance away from his. Makai giggled.

"I know they'll always be fabrications, Dashiell, and outsiders can think what they want as long as they understand I'm more dangerous than a credchit card. The question is, how are you handling all this? Going from a slacker flight-grunt to being in the spotlight with mucky-mucks is a big change."

She grinned and pulled him in for a proper kiss before loosening her grip on his shirt.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



Reply cut off by the kiss, Judah cupped her cheek lightly, lost for a moment with her. The kiss deepened as her hand slacked from his shirt, giving him a little more maneuvering room. Yet something was in his way. Something soft and squishy that clearly wasn't a part of Thessa. Lips slowly broke apart and he looked down. Right, the kid.


Grin spread across his features as he took the boy from Thessa, giving his son a light toss in the air, catching him. Giggles erupted from the littlest Dashiell. Judah did it once more before stopping, taking over holding their drool ridden spawn.


"Slacker?" Judah shook his head slowly, wanting to laugh. "Yes, I did slack a little once I joined the Republic. Growing up on a farm the place was practically a vacation. Besides, I was distracted by all the beautiful women parading through the Navy. You'll find out about that in twelve years or so now son."


"Handling it? I don't know....Sometimes its too much. There are many days I've thought of selling Salacia and going back to my roots. There are other days I love it. I don't like leaving you two behind so often but its impossible -- especially with our growth in the Levantine Sanctum."


"I didn't expect any of this to happen. Honestly....I suspected I'd still be living in your apartment, afraid of Sparky."


There was a long pause. Judah rarely talked about that. Didn't like to remind himself or Thessa of that point in time. Leaning back against the desk, Judah shifted Makai in his arms.


"What about you? I mean....we never exactly planned to have a child....it kinda came out left field. One minute you're a high-flying Captain and the next you're a wife and mother. You stepped back without a word, without a thought."

 

[Thessa Kai]

She grabbed a baby-rag from the counter and dabbed the small pool of drool that managed to gather on her shoulder. She leaned into Judah's side and gently wiped their joint mess's face. The mess giggled and hiccuped.

She remained quiet, thoughtful as she stepped back and leaned against the counter. They both had their own demons in the past. And those demons usually stayed buried.

"Well, the wife thing I had a little more time to adjust to," she grinned. "As for the mother-thing. Flying was always my biggest passion. But as soon as we had Makai, he turned into my biggest passion. I still love to fly. I never had to give anything up. My priorities just...shifted. Make sense?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


Judah was thoughtful for a long moment. Makai had started a round of hiccups and suddenly became interested in gnawing on his own hand. Quickly the boy was covering himself in various stages of drool for a change, rather than his parents.


"It makes sense. If you wanted....you could always join back up, become a full-time Captain again. I plan on working from Ceto more often. Whatever can't be handled here is no problem. I pack up our mini-mess and Ferox and head to whatever corner of the Galaxy. I just don't want you looking back five years from now and feeling like you missed out is all."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Judah," she spoke quietly and stepped forward, gently cupping his face. Makai giggled and tugged lightly on her driftwood-strands of hair. "I don't need to be a full-time Captain anymore. Being a full-time mom has enough excitement, believe me." Fingers lifted to gently push his hairline back. It wasn't so unkempt anymore but every now and then it would get close to its mop level.

"And you know me. I speak up when I need a break. Just look at the new fighter we got and you even got dinner that night." She grinned and stole another kiss. "But are you doing okay? Are you still doing what you want to do?" Voice was a little breathless as she pulled herself back.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Can't imagine the excitement will ever stop with this one." Judah grinned, keeping Thessa close until she pulled back a little. "I did see your new fighter, its great. As for dinner, what husband doesn't want a night off from making everything from scratch? Not that I mind. Anything for my favorite mermaid."


Shifting Makai in his arms, Thessa's question hit close to the mark. Her words echoed something he reflected on often, struggled with. However, Judah suspected there would always be doubts or questions in his mind. Sacrifices to make, decisions to agonize over would be the norm. They would be there even if he wasn't owner of a major corporation.


"I'm fine. A little worn out right now...but overall no complaints. I don't always get to what I want but that's life. There's a lot of things that come associated with this I hate doing. There's quite a bit I absolutely love doing." Excitement danced in his blue eyes once more. "We've been working on green energy. Stuff that is off grid...things for regular folks and far-flung planets with no infrastructure. I've been able to work closely with that, I love it."


Leaning in, Judah kissed Thessa again, lingering for a moment before slipping his arm around her waist. Gently, he nudged her along to walk with him.


"Besides, doing what I do gives us the freedom to do what we couldn't when we were first dating. Or things we couldn't do as kids. Makai will have a easier life, you get to stay home and do what you want. That makes it all worth while."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Your only mermaid," she teased and gently nudged his side as they began to walk. Aqua-lips thinned in thought. "I appreciate everything you've done for me - for us. But I never want you to feel like you're alone in this, like you have to bear all the financial burden. Being a mom is a full-time job, or any parent, as you know. You know I'm willing to look for more odd jobs, right? Because even if we were back in my apartment with two naval-incomes, I know we'd make it work."

They always seemed to do that.

And she never wanted him to feel like she wasn't pulling her weight.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


Makai continued to drool on on Judah as they walked along to the young boy's room. It was time to get their spawn to sleep for a nap and try to enjoy a shred of adult conversation without drool or giggles or diaper changing. An oasis in the chaos for an hour or so a day at the very least.


"Financial burden? Everything we own is paid off in full. Our holdings are extremely diverse. I could shut down Salacia and we'd still be pulling in money due to investments. Credits won't be an issue unless both of us suddenly develop expensive and overly-exotic tastes. Something tells me that isn't going to be the case at all."


Reaching the nursery, Judah laid Makai down on his back. He carefully wiped the boys face off with an errant receiving blanket and pulled a lightweight blanket over his son. Makai was more interested in a interactive toy attached to the side of the crib than sleep, his pale blue eyes tracking the motions floating through the toy. Looking over the rail, Judah turned the knob to wind it up, giving Makai an extra fifteen minutes of fun.


"So no, don't bother working unless you want to. You've got your hands more than full here. Even if we weren't well-off I wouldn't press you to work, even though with our Republic-era incomes it would have been shoestring. Like....'do we buy diapers or pay the electric' but....we're good at figuring things out."


Checking on Makai one last time, Judah nodded his head towards the door. Time to escape while the escaping was good.


"Anyways, the entire situation is good. No need to worry about anything."