How'd You Like Your Gift?

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric stood quietly in the middle of a massive trade Expo.

He wore a freshly pressed suit, his trademark sunglasses, and the heavy scruffy beard that seemed to adorn his face at all times. He eyed several of the things in the booth in front of them, though none were actually relevant to what the vendor was selling. Instead he looked at the mans personal clothing, he was a Twi'lek, and apparently one that stuck to traditions.

Heavy flowing robes and golden belts adorned him, several golden trinkets hanging from his neck as well as his Lekku. Alric found it incredibly interesting, and he would have asked the man about it were it not for the fact that the man seemed to be lusting after someone to talk to.

Of course, when his company only sold mining lasers Alric could see why he was in dire straights.

To be fair they were good lasers, and Alric had bought some several weeks back so that Blas-Tech could copy, and enhance upon them. This man didn't know that of course, but he was about to be out of business because of it. Alric had absolutely no regrets, and after staring at his clothing for a solid ten minutes he suddenly turned and walked away.

The CEO of Blas-Tech perused the Expo for some time.

Every corporation in the galaxy was here, from big to small. There were lasers, blasters, armor, fuel cells, everything one could ever think of. Several high powered CEO's were here, and thus security was rather tight. Alric walked through the Expo, watching certain booths for fleeting seconds before panning back to the crowds.

The people here interested him much more than any technology.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"What updates do you have on that Mirkanite contract?" Danger would ask Alisha'ven, full hips a swaying as the Trade Queen would sit within the comfort of her VIP overhead booth.

The Expo, one of the finest and most profitable ventures ever. A low ball glass of whiskey would swirl round in a lazy whirlpool with the subtle rotation of her right wrist. On her left, she held a large datapad, her thumb idly sliding screen after screen back and forth. Browncoat Arms & Industrial along with Mara Tibx & Fuels were working in conjunction with the Mustafar locals to land a contract for Mirkanite. So far, talks were going good, but things were a little bit feisty. They had a union. Sigh.

"And Yavin?" so far the survey would show that while they were not the only one to take advantage of Yavin Prime, the planet was large enough to warrant the possibility of establishing a small mining facility. It wouldn't be big, but as long as Browncoat Arms & Industrial, Mohc Extractives, and Mara Tibx gave the Mandalorians their tarif, things would be fair and square. She would dot her i's and cross her t's. She was no fool to run into the Mandalorian's anger, and ensuring that the Mandalorian clans got their cut meant she could do business providing their trading needs.

"Looks good so far, but this is the first time Browncoat is doing anything of this kind. So it will take a bit before any real results come to pass." Danger would give a nod. More sliding of her finger.

"How about the rest of them mineral contracts? I've a keen interest at sending PharmaTech what they require to push into new research and development."

Alisha would start to relay the information, the Twi'lek walking to the large slightly rounded glasteel window and down below. "Still working on percentages. They be wanting a fifty fifty cut..." her voice would fade, a smooth brow perking up in interest at what she saw.

"He's here y'know." she would tell Danger, prompting a blank look.

"Mistah Kuhn." it wasn't the visual that clarified it, but the security alert she'd received a few minutes earlier. What with Danger asking to get as much as one could over the man, he was bound to show up in their security pass down if he came to the expo. Owner of BlasTech. A company she had a keen interest on.

Danger's green eyes would narrow.

"Is that so..." oh, she was still rightly peeved over his so called 'gift.' And no, she wasn't wearing it. Instead she wore a black dress that accentuated her curves along with the AEL corset so lovingly crafted by Rave Merrill herself.

"Well then, why don't we bring him up."

Clearly if you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric walked through the expo at a short calm pace. He moved, glancing towards several booths and watching their contents. It was all rather interesting of course, all rather fun and exciting. New technologies were one of the few things that made Alric pleased. The others were winning, and Xo. She had an interesting way about her that just entertained him, of course that might have been cause they had their own little game, an extension of the bigger game he was playing.

Information flared up on his glasses, and he flickered his eyes towards it.

Stock prices.

That was always what he got. Stock Prices, rates, and purchases on Kuhn Consolidateds sides. It was interesting, but normal for him. He watched it for a few moments, then turned his gaze back towards the expo itself. When he looked, he found two very large Trandoshans walking towards him. Alric's eyes popped open slightly, and his eyebrows raised as he noticed they were walking towards him.

Well, this was interesting.

They stomped over to him, big clawed feet clacking against the metal floor. He watched them until they stopped directly in front of him. One of them licked his lips, the other opened his mouth and spoke in the most guttural basic that Alric had ever heard.

"Miz Arceneau wants to see you."

Alric looked at him, then to the other lizard.

Then he looked over towards where he knew the Arceneau woman would be.

Alric shrugged his shoulders. He was sure that Danger just wanted to thank him for the kind gift he had thrown in on top of the bid for Pharma-Tech. After all the dress had been quite expensive. It seemed that with womens clothing, the less fabric, the more it cost.

“Well, we better not keep her waiting.” Alric said to the Trandoshans, as he took a step between them. Slowly they began to walk towards Danger, though before they reached her Alric spoke up. “So what kind of dress is she wearing? Just curious.”

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The burly Trandoshans would no make small talk. They weren't the sort to. All they did was their job, and at the present time Miz. Arceneau required Mister Kuhn's presence.

They would weave their way through the Expo's patrons, the crowd parting like the sea in the face of the two ruby skinned Trandoshans. Their nails would click as they would draw to the left, heading straight towards a small turbolift guarded by two even larger Hergelics. The Darkwater symbol would be easily identified on their uniform, and it was only after the Trandoshan to Kuhn's right would give the clear that they allowed them to pass.

The hiss of the door would slide open after a swiped key code entry onto the security console. A nod would encourage the skinnier humanoid to get inside.

A surprise would wait for Alric, as leaning against the far side of the turbo lift was a Rutian female Twi'lek. She wore tight brown pants tucked into black nerfskin boots. A dark brick colored leather vest would go over her cream colored blouse that suited her coloring. While a silver gilded and leather headdress would adorn the crown of her head and base of her lekku. A low hip hugging belt with a thigh holster bearing Browncoat Arms finest would show she was armed, and likely having other interesting bits hidden elsewhere as well.

"Mistah Kuhn." Alisha'ven would say, pushing her boot away from the wall of the turbo lift to meet him.

"I hope you're enjoyin' the expo."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]
Alric looked at the woman, I mean he really looked at her. One could equate it to ogling, though with his sunglasses covering his eyes it was very hard to tell.

He never discriminated by species.

Twi'leks across much of the galaxy were seen as sex symbols. Blue, Red, beige, it didn't matter their color. A lot of them were dancers, more were outright sex slaves, and still more were just slaves in general. It was a shame really, Twi'leks held a certain beauty about them that denoted a sense of royalty, or at least Alric had always felt it was so.

This one seemed to have a bit of an attitude about her, though he guessed that only by the way she had been standing and the blaster on her hip. For a few moments Alric considered hitting on her, but ultimately decided that the game would be short, and not too fun. Instead he simply smiled, a cocky self assured smile that denoted a hint of amusement, no annoyance or anger at being practically detained.

“Oh yes.” No hint of sarcasm in his voice. “The technology is fantastic, but really what fascinates me is the people.”

Alric shook his head, jerking a thumb towards one of the Trandoshans. “I swear, you meet all sorts at these things.”

 

[Alisha'ven]

The tips of her lekku would give a subtle twitch, wry amusement shinning in her large lavender eyes. She was tall for a Twi'lek, rather confidante too for a would be former dancer from the Nar Shadda's clubs. Then again, she grew into her position by more than her exotic good looks.

"Name's Alisha," A smug smile would draw over her lips, and a quick nod towards the Trandoshans saw their departure. The door of the turbolift would slide shut just as she added, "That so?" her brows would rise up as if seemingly enthused.

"Well who would you say has been your most interesting meeting?"

She'd come to a stop a few feet before him, the turbo lift giving a slight shudder as it began its ascent.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Well at least this one knew how to hold a conversation, and she wasn't too bad to look at either, Twi'leks never were.

The smooth subtle blue hue of her skin was extremely pleasing to the eye, the slight dimples at the end of her smug smile were endearing, and the lekku that twitched so subtly gave her an air of innocents that most would find incredibly appealing. Lekku, Alric thought, were never threatening. Even on the male Twi'leks they represented something vulnerable. If one knew what they were, they would very likely agree with Alrics thoughts.

“Well, Alisha. There's been a few interesting ones.” Alric made a motion to his head as if he was trying to think.

That was ludicrous of course, Alric remembered the name and face of every single person he had ever met almost immediately, but girls liked that bit of shy vulnerability of forgetfulness.

“There was the Arkanian selling super absorbent towels, he was interesting because they always have that air of superiority about them. Then there was the Gamorrean who was oddly cohesive with his speech, I believe he was selling soap...kind of ironic really, don't think he ever used it.” He tapped his head. “Ah of course, there was the Trandoshans, though they were rather boring.”

He gave her a charming grin, the kind that landed most pants on the floor. “The most interesting though I would have to say is this Rutian Twi'lek, divinely beautiful and sadly rarely ever seen in this galaxy. She had the most winning smile.”

Alric acted as if he was swooning for a second, though he sounded completely and entirely genuine. Clearly, he wasn't joking or making fun of her.

 

[Alisha'ven]

"Oh is that so?" There was a glimmer in her lavender eyes, one that would spark intrigue as the Twi'lek would draw nearer. The lift would slowly continue its ascent, but Alisha .. well, was already making her way over to Alric.

"What made this smile oh so winning, Mistah Kuhn?" she'd ask, forward as can be as she would set her hand to rest upon his chest. Another step forward and she was invading his personal space. Add another and she would slowly guide him back to the wall of the lift.

Her smile would broaden, and her fingers of her right hand would dip to play lightly with the buttons of his shirt.

"Humor a girl won't you?"

Well, let's be frank, there was also another reason Alisha'ven was Danger's second in command. She did the dirty work Danger would not.

Be the bait.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Well, this was certainly unexpected. Though if Alisha was hoping for shock or any sort of reaction, she was playing with the wrong man. There was a woman in his life that had many of the same tactics, though they were far more forward and far more enticing. So to this, Alric simply smiled and looked at the tall Twi'lek, lekku twitching slightly, which was telling.

“It might be the hint of danger I saw in it, the air of confidence and strength, the slight inkling of a wonder yet to be discovered.” Alric felt the press of the elevator against his back, and he continued with his winning smirk.

He made no move to detach her hand from his shirt, and stated nothing about her playing with the buttons of his very expensive suit. There was no rise, no different actions, nothing. Alric simply stood against the elevator as though they were having a normal conversation, his left hand remained hanging in his pocket.

His right hand meanwhile snaked around her, planting firmly on her backside in order to pull her close.

 

[Alisha'ven]

If he thought she was gonna do anything to stop him from drawing her closer, Alric would be in for a surprise. Instead she would give a subtle giggle, while her other hand would reach up to halt the turbolift's progress. It would shudder to a slow halt, giving enough of a shake to prompt the Twi'lek female to press up against him.

"Slight inkling of wonder is it Mistah Kuhn?" her voice would be low, wry and with a hint of impish roguery. "And what does that wonder make you think of?" up went her hands, boldly starting to wander up his chest, rustling the fabric of his shirt. Up above them, the tiny small holocamera barely even detectable would continue to record...

Oh she was a bold one, but one didn't get to where she was by being coy.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric didn't stop her hand, instead he simply looked down at it with a wry grin.

“Of adventures to be had.” He intoned to her, his other hand slowly leaving his pocket to grab onto her loose hand. Her began to lift it into the air, as if he was going to point something. “Of things yet to be explored, of games yet to be won.”

The last sentence had a different tone about it than the others had, it was harder, more accented, not something to really notice unless you were looking for it. Suddenly, Alric pulled on her loose arm with his own. Using the hand on her rump, and the arm that he had grasped she spun her around, instantly wrapping his thick muscular arms around Alisha and trapping her in place against himself in a tight bear hug.

Not at all a secure hold, but it was unlikely she would get out fast enough to stop him from what he was about to do.

“If your boss really wanted to lull me into a sense of satisfaction before seeing her, she should have tried a bottle of Scotch.” As soon as he said the words Alric unlatched his arms from around her and pushed Alisha away from himself, not roughly mind you, he did not harm her in anyway, but it was enough to send her stumbling back away from Alric.

 

[Alisha'ven]

Alisha'ven would go stumbling back, but being an ex dancer meant that she was quick on her feet, and she showed it. She regained her balance quickly, her hands rising up to catch herself against the far wall.

"Feisty, aren't 'cha?" she would coo out, very much amused. Just then the turbo lift would suddenly start, shuffling them both. It didn't appear to alarm the Rutian at all.

"For shame, sugar. We could of had some fun." she'd say, pushing herself forward from the wall. Another slow shudder and the turbolift would come to a halt.

"My love is free," she'd tell him, giving a throaty chuckle as the door would hiss open behind Alric, revealing another small corridor. Therein beyond would be two double doors that would lead to the VIP area where Danger Arceneau awaited.

"Come along, Mistah Kuhn," With lingering amusement, she would start to walk past him, hips swaying in those too tight breeches. "She's expecting you after all."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“I don't like free.” Alric said in that same neutral amused tone he had held since their first meeting.

Oh she was tempting.

There was no doubt about that. Twi'leks were always tempting. He had yet to meet one that wasn't attractive in some way, this one was no different. Yet it would cost him too much, fifteen minutes of play would set him back hours of work. That would be too high of a price, and unlike Alisha claimed, it would not be free.

Everything cost something.

This would have cost him stake in the Game. It was a game that Alisha did not know she was a part in, it was a game that Danger did not know she was a part in. There were only two people who were aware of this game, himself, and Xo. This game was different than the other he and the Zeltron played, this one was far bigger, far more grand.

He grinned and followed after the Rutian Twi'lek, his eyes, still hidden by his glasses, following after her swaying hips.

Alric could at least look.

 

[Alisha'ven]

"Pity. Would have been fun," she'd say, not at all offended. Granted, there is a reason for everything. This has not been the first time Alisha had worked her wiles on a business counterpart with Danger watching. Everything was a test.

Makes one wonder if Alric Kuhn passed... or not.

Either way, the sashaying Rutian would come up to the new set of heavy doors. A swipe of her key and the scan of her hand would allow entry. Turning over to Alric, Alisha would shine him a smirk.

"After you." she'd say, gesturing him inside. What he would step into was a large dimly lit VIP room with a fully stocked bar and comfortable u-shaped seating. A third of the walls were crafted out of specially treated glassteel, allowing a version of two way mirror like effect to wash over it for privacy.

Down by the bar, the voluptuous Trade Queen would stand, pouring herself another glass of whiskey, her stunning profile to the new guest.

"Well Mistah Kuhn," she'd start, giving herself three fingers worth of Corellian Gold

"What a mighty surprise to see you round my neck of the woods." her voice was as thick and sweet as honey, with sultry over tone to it that would make one think of warm Tatooine Nights. "Pick your poison?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric walked into the room, raising an eyebrow at the lavish displays of wealth that were in abundance. He wasn't really one to judge on those matters, but he could look around and take it all in. He didn't even notice Danger at first, or at the very least he pretended not to.

He imagined she wasn't used to that.

Part of the game.

He surveyed the room for a few more minutes, only letting his head adjust itself towards Danger at the later half of her words, his eyes directing themselves towards the bottle that she was holding in her hands, then towards the dress that she was wearing. A visible frown appeared on his face, only barely hidden by the tightly trimmed scruff of his head.

“Shame. I thought you were bringing me up here to show how well the dress fit you.” It was almost an off handed comment, as if they were old friends. He didn't mention what dress he was speaking about, she knew very well.

He shrugged.

“I suppose Miss Arceneau...” He drawled the name in an interesting accent as if he was slightly exasperated. “I'll have the same as you.”

 

[Danger Arceneau]

If his comment would stir her anger, he wouldn't be able to tell. Oh no, Danger was well used to playing this game. A reputation was all a woman had, and her's was immaculate.

Amusement would lit seemingly over her face as she would toss a few ice cubes into her drink. More of the Corellian Whyren's Reserve would splash over it there after.

"My my, was that you?" she'd drawl out, still haven't looked over at his direction yet. It was all about presence y'know. "Pity such a pretty penny was wasted on the wrong size." was she being serious? It was hard to determine. Either way, she would draw her attention finally to Alric. She wanted that weapons company after all. BlasTech. Bright vibrant green eyes would stare right at him through a thick black fringe of lashes. Oh, was she ever presentable -- and she knew it.

"Whyren's it is" she'd confrim,only this time rotating her wrist to shake the low ball glass, ice clinking at the edges as it would shift. While she may appear to be the picture perfect hostess for now, there was something stirring under there. Slowly, she'd take both glasses and start to amble her way over to him. Every step was a remind of just what kind of woman Danger was, and how true to her name she would fit.

Danger was most definitely danger.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Well...” Alric said without hesitation as she spoke of sizes. “At least you tried it on then.”

He showed to emotion to her, simply a smile and a look of slight satisfaction. He didn't bother trying to look through her to see if she was putting on airs, Alric was already sure that she was. Just like him, she had a face in public, one that needed to be maintained. He wasn't entirely sure what that face was, not yet, he had to keep playing the game to find out.

When she approached him, he watched her eyes.

Not her body or her ample bosom. He already knew that was there, he already knew what danger that posed. Instead he watched her eyes, seeing the danger that was there, the intensity that sat behind them, the slight flirtation, the spark of something untold.

He remained quiet as she ambled her way towards him, taking the glass from her without so much as a thank you or any other word.

Manners were ignored, that was part of the game.

He didn't drink, even though he was thirsty. That was a strategic move, the thought behind it was of control, of power. It was subtle, so subtle that most would not even think of it as a play. Next came silence, another part of the game. If you wanted information from someone, you simply had to remain silent.

Eventually they would speak.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

A single arch of her brow would follow at his rudeness. Then there came the slight narrowing of her eyes, but she gave no quarter in revealing her true thoughts. Instead she would smile that dazzling smile, bringing her glass to her lips to take a sip of the fiery liquid. It would burn familiar down her throat, spreading a warmth through her belly. She would continue on, walking over towards the large floor to ceiling glassteel windows that would bear witness down to the Expo patrons below.

"Not quite. I simply looked at the tag." she'd say, a seemingly amused twist of her lips drawing at the right corner of her mouth. The glass would drop to her side, her wrist idly swirling the amber liquid within.

Each had their own Sabbacc face on, and hers was just an expression of the perfect hostess. "Would you care for anything to eat?" she'd ask, gesturing over towards a small table that would have various fingerfoods for the occasion. She'd finally come to a stop before the windows, taking another sip.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric chuckled.

The dress had had no tag.

He knew that, she knew that. They both knew. She likely never tried on the dress in the first place, more likely she opened the box, saw the cut of the lace and immediately threw it out. Anything else and Alric would have miscalculated her quite a bit. He grinned at her, then took a sip of the drink himself. What did she want from him? That was the question.

He thought he had the answer, but perhaps not.

“Perhaps.” Alric said. “A bite to eat does sound enticing.”

He would give her something, something small. It was only to give her a slight edge, to see what she would do with it. He wanted to test the waters. Would Danger take advantage or let it pass? There were so many questions, so many variables in this game.

Excitement poured through Alric.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Then please," she'd gesture anew to Alric, "Help yourself Mistah Kuhn." the hiss of the door would announce Alisha'ven's depature, but she had her orders. Dig a little deeper.

Much like how Danger would in turn do, "I must admit, you do have a way of making tongues wag." she's start, her attention driving over through the glassteel and to the crows below. "Having the turadium balls to take Blast-Tech from Cade Lee." another sip of whiskey would burn her tongue.

"Some call you a madman. Others hail you an innovator." cat like eyes would drift to lock upon the bearded male, her head tilting slightly to the right to study him. Whatever she might have read from him would only be relayed as mild curiosity.

"So, what are you then, mmm?"