Sticks and Stones

[Danger Arceneau]

​

Miss Arceneau? Are you ready? If not I can come back later.

That's what he said.

The few moments of silence would have warranted anyone to believe that perhaps Danger had changed her mind. Maybe most wouldn't have blamed her.

However, the latch of the door swung open, and the bright pair of green eyes would meet the dark blue of [member="Judah Dashiell"]. They swept over the touseled mop of dark curls, the humble but handsome features, and the scruff darkening the line of his jaw. All homegrown Salacami stock that bled humbleness and an integrity few ever saw in the galaxy.

"I'm ready, Mistah Dashiell," she'd relay, the rasp of her words all molasses and honey. Cordial and pleasant.

With a few hours in between, Danger had some time to compose herself. To gather her bearings. The day had been rather eventful, and to be frank, she knew that Judah Dashiell didn't mean anything by his parting comment.

You feel the need to hide those freckles behind a smattering of makeup?​

There was the option to dine out, but seeing as how the original invitation had been to enjoy the night air, there was no need to change it. Dress simple, dress classy, and there wouldn't be an issue for anyone to nitpick. A simple black dress with a scalloped boat neck draped wide from one bare shoulder to the other, the hemline falling at a respectful two inches bellow the knee. A simple platinum pendant lay around her neck, while the sweep of her auburn hair was pinned up in an Alderaanian twist.

"Please, come in." she would offer, stepping to the side for him to enter.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

A moment of confusion danced across his face. Brow furrowed ever so slightly. There were plans to have dinner but Judah had intended to take her downstairs to one of the resort restaurants. The type of restaurant with floor to ceiling windows and a grand bar. The type that would have frowned upon his lack of tie. The type where a main course was a piece of meat the size of a credit.


Yet he was being beckoned into [member="Danger Arceneau"] 's hotel suite. Odd but he stepped into the luxurious interior. It was nearly identical to his own suite 'next door', save for the placement of fresh flowers.


"You look beautiful, as always." There was a slight pause. "Are you ready to head out? I figure one of these restaurants in the resort shouldn't be too overrun with business expo attendees."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

You look just as beautiful without it, perhaps even more so. ​

Just sayin'.....you shouldn't hide who you are, but I suppose business demands it, doesn't it?
​

​

There it was again.

And he said it so easily. Her eyes fell and she panned her emerald gaze over to her suite.

Danger would draw her hand away from the door, Judah brushing past. A sigh came from her then, one gesturing towards the living room suite and then back out yet door.

"Reckon it all depends if you've a desire to have to preen through an impromptu Techno Union social, or rather stay put and avoid the crowd."

Which meant rubbing elbows and more business talk. Things both would and should ought to do. Yet, honestly, Danger wasn't particularly feeling like it. She could handle a quiet evening, not another long night interacting with associates.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Hands went into his pockets, listening as [member="Danger Arceneau"] spoke. Emerald gaze followed his every move in the suite. It was quite odd. Judah couldn't figure out if she was judging his body language or a little spooked by his presence.


If that was the case, why even open the door?


"Can't say I enjoy most of our fellow business brethren....If I had to guess, most might be incredibly drunk and rambunctious tonight. Especially those on the road away from the family. For some anyhow."


An easy smile came and he looked around for a moment, searching.


"Nothing says a night in like raiding the mini-bar and paying ten credits for a candy bar."


Of course, the resort had room service, Judah had ordered breakfast after all. The question remained if the Trade Queen wanted to dine with him. They already had an interesting day. No doubt somewhere he was grating on her nerves -- even if it was just in the slightest.


"I suppose we got dressed up for nothing...I apologize....I-uh...If you need me I'll be in my suite then, I'll let you get back to your evening."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"] had a way about him that provoked a woman.

Danger couldn't quite put her finger on it. Couldn't quite wrap her mind on it. Maybe it was his sincerity. Maybe it was those born and raised farmboy values that reminded her of her Granddaddy. Integrity. Commitment. Genuine.

It would be easy to take this exit. It would be easier to close that door shut. Easier still to not cross that bridge she knew they'd been dancing. That bridge being the awareness that Judah had managed to get under her skin, much like his son. The younger Dashiell had stolen her heart. The elder...well he had a way of catching her off guard and making her feel as if he saw her all too clearly.

More than she'd care to admit.

As it was, it was his humble and cordial manner that would tug at that part of her that knew she shouldn't simply let him be. "...We could order roomservice."

It was an olive branch.

"Order a custom steak that is larger than a credit chip and ask that they don't skimp on the roasted rosemary potatoes."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"We could...that is, if I wouldn't be intruding on your evening."


There was the lingering uncertainty in his mind that relations between them weren't exactly proceeding as normal. Her emerald gaze was almost constantly boring into him. There was the misstep in the turbolift, asking about her beauty habits. Before they had departed earlier it almost seemed she wanted to say more.


Then stopped. Just when he thought he had her figured out, a layer removed, [member="Danger Arceneau"] got more confusing.


"Its rare I have a real steak dinner....I'm sure with enough credits we can get them to not skimp on your potatoes."


Judah had a hard time remembering the last time he had steak. Dinners in the Dashiell household often centered on surf rather than the turf side of things. Ocean blue eyes searched the woman in front of him. Brows furrowed once more.


"Are you feeling well?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Well I had a stomach full of seawater, but I doubt that's done turned me into Lasedri, Mistah Dashiell," the wry rare quip shot out of her mouth before Danger could, again, reign it in.

Nek take it.

A hand rose, reaching up to sweep the stray strands of auburn hair back and behind her ear. She took a deep breath and gave a nod. "Right as rain. I'm just giving you the option." maybe if she followed it up with a cordial smile? It was odd, for some reason, Judah now had the most particularly uncomfortable stand about him. As if he were mulling some sort of puzzle.

Or as if he were about to get the drop into a Sarlacc pit.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]


"I'll be more than happy to join you, despite your big meal earlier, some of us are hungry." A frown came at the mention of the Republic and its current leader. "Quite a poor comparison, I never pegged you for a murderer Miss Arceneau..."


Despite the half-hearted joke, he couldn't help but wonder....Why all the outs? It had never been questioned before, everything had always been assumed. Assumed he was eating with her. Assumed he would be headed to the water park. There had always been a sense of leadership or take charge attitude in their interactions. A clear sense she was calling the shots and opinions were merely suggestions.


Without Makai as a buffer, their relationship had seemed to move into an odd category. One he couldn't describe.


"Good to know you're feeling well. One never knows what oddities seawater contains..."


Since they were staying in as it were, Judah moved to remove the gray suit jacket. There was little need for it in the suite. It would come to rest on the back of a chair, folded neatly. If it was anyone else, he would have been sitting down, lounging in a far more relaxed position than his recent awkward states. With any luck the atmosphere between them would change once the meal arrived.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Never pegged you for a murderer.

Well it was a good thing he'd turned to take off his jacket, what with the way her lips pursed at that. There was clearly something wrong. Something off. Danger didn't spend over twenty years in this business, making it her focus to be a premier hostess and socialite to miss those signs.

"Are you okay, Mistah Dashiell?" came her soft inquiry, following his stroll as he shrugged off the gray jacket. The white dress shirt that he wore was a stark contrast to the tan gleaned from living near the sea. It was a hue reminiscent of Makai's own, save for the lack of the blue iridescent scales that covered him.

Slowly, her right foot would step over her left. Right, and a slow full hipped amble would draw him closer to the CEO of Salacia Consolidated. Appraising him, searching for an answer.

Unknowing that the action may only make the situation worse.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]


"Never better."


The lie rolled easy off his tongue. He was surprised how easy it had become to do such a thing. There was a time he wouldn't have dreamed such a thing - lying, a bit of deception. Times changed and it was important to keep up some type of appearance, one that was consistent with his normal demeanor.


Glancing around again, he found the in-room service menu sitting not too far away from him. Judah already knew what he wanted but the act was a buffer. Besides, the entire point of the evening was dinner. Pages were flipped, the evening menu appearing with the dial-in number in bold across the top.

"You said extra potatoes, right?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Danger's eyes immediately narrowed.

You're lying.

Now that was a sight to beheld. One that Danger didn't think could ever come to pass. Danger stood still, her fingers lightly tenting in front of her, following his every step, reading the lines of his body. In her business, she made it a point to discern the subtleties of men.

There was something more there.

Then again, considering the conversation with Makai, what he said about his momma then. What she'd noticed going on the past year. There was something wrong alright.

And it started with a capital T.

"You're lying."

There was no venom in her voice. In fact, it was steady, calm, and perhaps a bit too precise.

Question was, did Danger draw blood?

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Blue eyes immediately glanced up to meet emerald green. Fingers tented, body poised. [member="Danger Arceneau"] looked like a woman ready to dive into a long conversation about the ill gotten gains of lying. It was more than a little uncomfortable. Some folks didn't like being lied to, even for innocuous things such as his present state of being. The Trade Queen could be one of those women, but it seemed rather petty to pounce on him for such a mundane thing.


"If I was, which I am not, why does it matter?"


Voice was just as calm hers. Judah met her with a questioning gaze, curious to see what answer she would produce.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]


Her hands fell to her sides, but what she said came out low and quiet.

"Because if I can catch the lie, means I ain't the only one who can."

That didn't need any more explaining. Judah would know exactly about who she meant. Makai. The little boy who had big eyes, and ears to ear that could pick up anything. Any sensitive thing that could strike a hole in that younglin's heart to get him worked up believing it was his own fault for causing any ill will to his father.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]


"No, I imagine not."


Judah knew full well who she was speaking of. In his mind, there was a large difference between a grown woman and a boy who had just learned to tie his own shoes. There would be no doubting he didn't underestimate his own son. Past parenting mistakes had proven the boy was smart as a whip and could pick up things easily. Part of him was a proud Pa at having such a smart boy, his one and only child, Judah poured quite a bit into Makai.


The other part wished the boy didn't pick up on so much. Wished Makai had gained some of his own social ignorance of certain situations. There was no way to cherry-pick situations though. Judah did his best to shelter his son. Limit what he was exposed to both inside and outside of their home.


"There's not much I can do about it. He's a smart kid."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]


"That he is."

There was no denying that. No disagreement from Danger at all. Makai was a bright child and he expressed it more every single time he came round. Every interaction with the younger Dashiell was a learning experience, watching and seeing the 'Verse through his eyes -- amazed at the wonder of a child that could stir her into seeing into a new perspective.

Oh she loved that child. One could even argue that she loved him as her own. Given with the amount of time and the deep need of motherin' Makai needed, there was little doubt that Danger was fulfilling a role that should have gone to another.

There was no denying that the time spent observing and watching and listening to what Makai had to say had colored Danger's impression of Mrs. Dashiell. Enough to have specific thoughts about the woman and where her priorities lay.

Slowly, Danger cut the distance between them, "Which is why I'm keen on wonderin' just what is goin' on to 'cause your boy to fret so?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Its....personal."


As generic sounding as his reply was, it was the best he could offer. Discussing private matters with [member="Danger Arceneau"] would be difficult. There was some odd line of business relationship mixed with friendship they kept dancing on. Besides, he was no marriage expert but discussing one's wife in detail with another woman seemed to border in a gray area. A gray area he had no intention of visiting.


"I'll have another talk with him when I get back home. He'll be alright, don't worry."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

It's... personal.

It's personal?

Her right thumb and forefinger unconsciously gave a twitch, the pads of the digits rubbing together as if in a dire need for a familiar slugthrower. Oh, there ain't no denying that. Ain't no wondering that the martial woes of another were not part of Danger's area of influence nor her concern.

She knew that.

He knew that.

Yet all she could think about is when Makai with redrimmed eyes asked her if his ma left cause he was bad and if he was extra good, would she return? A woman has her limits. Has her fine lines and pressure points before they snap.

She could have left it at that.

She should have left it that that.

But she didn't.

"Personal." her drawl had grown thicker, a rasp that had nothing to do with any provocative thoughts. There was no cajole, no sweet coax. This was a little bit of that veneer of the mask of the Queen of Trade breaking.

The pink tip of her tongue swept over her lower lip, and she took a breath. Shoulders rose, then straightened.

"Just like when Makai asks me if I'm watching him 'cause his ma left?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Words cut through him like a dagger.


There had been no doubt that when his wife left and didn't return after a few months, Judah didn't know what to do. There were rules and routines that had only been privy to Thessa and Makai. She stayed at home with their son, developed a well ingrained pattern of life. Without her there he floundered at first. Never had he felt so lost.


[member="Danger Arceneau"] already seemed keen on his son. In his fit of floundering, Judah wanted to make sure Makai had some type of female presence beyond Makai's grandmother. As much as little boys wanted to emulate their Pa in every way, there was something about being a comforting force only a mother could understand. A special relationship.


Perhaps he had unwillingly put too much on the Trade Queen's shoulders. He hadn't expected Makai to take such a shine to her. There were days the redhead seemed like his best friend in the entire 'verse.


"Which I apologize for." A slight pause, trying to formulate the best response to her words."There isn't much I can do about, in fact there isn't anything I can do about it. If you like I'll make sure he doesn't come around anymore, at least not without myself present at all times. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Don't you dare finish that thought."

That came out perhaps a bit too harshly, a bit too heated. A bit too personal, if that was the focus of the night. A fine trembling took her, the sort that had her straining to hang onto a last strand of bearing she had left.

She was not about to lose Makai. He was the light of her life, and he was latched onto her heart by bonds that went beyond blood.

"You boy may not be a child of my blood or born of womb," there was the faintest quiver in her voice. Emotion. Raw. Real.

"But I love him as my own." no, with the way Danger Arceneau lit up around Makai and vice versa, there was no denying that. If there ever was a woman made for motherin', it was she.


"So I beg your pardon if'n I get too personal 'cause breaks my heart to see him blame himself."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

He watched as [member="Danger Arceneau"] worked herself up so much she started to shake. Makai was near and dear to her heart, something he already knew. To see her whip herself into a frenzy of this magnitude was surprising however.


"What the hell do you want me to do? This isn't a situation where I can snap my fingers and make everything better. The situation may never be better, I don't know the future."


Hand ran through unruly curls, unsure of what to do. Why the woman had to bring this up now was beyond him...probably something that had been festering underneath that Trade Queen imagine for the last handful of months.


"Since you seem to be so knowledgeable on this topic, why don't tell me how to fix it."