Private The Gauntlet

[Makai Dashiell]

TIRTHA COVE, JOIOL

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

Coastal breeze swept through the bright and airy office, the not-so-distant sound of waves crashing ashore background music. The office was well appointed, lined with shelves containing not only books but family holos and an impressive collection of various minerals and gemstones. In the dead center was a massive desk, a visitors chair directly in front. Directly across from the desk a large holoprojector silently played financial news, a ticker moving across the bottom as the anchor spoke.

"I don't get many outside visitors in this office. Not outside the family or my inner circle, so to speak. Here, you look old enough for this..."

Makai had been pouring a fine whisky from the Tingel Arm for both of them. Lowball glass placed in front of the teenage boy, the half-Galan took his seat in the fine nerf chair across from his visitor. A small sip of the whisky and a frown - too used to wine at this point, it had been some time since he had a harder spirit. Glass sat down, he regarded the kid across from him.

It brought back memories of his own talks with Alric Kuhn. Time spent in the office together discussing the finer points of grilling nerf meat had turned into a literal grilling once he had starting dating Ellie. An abrupt change but one that had been necessary. Looking back, he would be concerned if there had been no questioning. It would have meant he wasn't a serious candidate.

Not that Makai expected the same from this boy. These were teenagers. Yet given the status of their family, this was more about weeding the ones out trying to make a name for themselves.

"So, Kiran...welcome. I am a little surprised to see you here, I am impressed by your willingness to throw yourself into the fire, so to speak."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Kiran sat stiffly in the visitor's chair, the glass of whisky untouched before him. The coastal breeze did little to cool the weight of the room, family holos on the shelf seemed to watch him just as intently as the man across the desk. He swallowed once, dry, his hand twitching like he wanted to reach for the drink but thought better of it. Perhaps it was a test and he wasn't trying to look bad or set a horrible example for himself.

"So, Kiran...welcome. I am a little surprised to see you here, I am impressed by your willingness to throw yourself into the fire, so to speak."

"Thank you, sir," he said, his voice a touch rougher than usual, stripped of its easy grin. This wasn't the kind of moment that called for bravado. "I figured if I was going to… well, if I was going to spend time with Persephone outside of the usual, then I should do this the right way. Or at least do my very best to make things right."

His eyes flicked around the room once more before they came settled back on Makai "I don't come from much. No wealth, no family name that means anything here. What I do have, what I can assure you is that I don't take her for granted. Not her time, not her trust."

He hesitated, glancing toward the holoprojector, then back to Makai. The memories of his own family, fractured and scattered, whispered at the edges of his resolve. "You've probably seen plenty of kids come through who want something from her. I'm not here to use her. Truth is…" He exhaled slowly, as if admitting it cost him something. "She's the one person who makes me feel like I'm not just drifting, she's blunt and she makes me feel grounded to reality, my closest, only friend. Like maybe I'm worth something more than what I've been dealt."

"I don't know what the right answer is in a talk like this. But I'll say this, I won't run when things get hard. Not from her, and not from this conversation."

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

"Relax before you pass out on me and I have to explain why some kid is unconscious on my floor."

Raising an eyebrow, Makai listened without interruption to the entire spiel the boy just gave. He wasn't quite sure where it came from given his opening and not asking any probing questions yet. The half-Galan was now left trying to decide if this kid was overeager, trying to impress him, or just plain odd. This was his first real test at ensuring Persephone was hanging around the right people - sure he and his wife had all but handpicked her friends, but this was a little different.

"First off...we're not Chandralian so this isn't a interrogation for some arranged teenage marriage. This is more myself ensuring Persephone is hanging with the right people. This doesn't mean wealth or status, contrary to what you've mentioned. You've already shown character by speaking to me so you're a step ahead in my book."

Toying with his lowball glass, Makai went straight for the heart of it then since Kiran had opened himself up all too quickly.

"From Persephone I was under the impression this is more...hmm...a first date, so to speak. Yet you're out here talking about not running when things get hard. I would caution you against running headlong into this with such thoughts and feelings. Quite intense for a night of dinner between two kids...Why did you feel the need to explain that to me? Are you looking to impress? To sway me?"

 

[Kiran Arlos]

"Relax before you pass out on me and I have to explain why some kid is unconscious on my floor."

"Yes sir."

Kiran felt the words land heavier than expected. He had poured everything out too quickly, hadn't he? His instinct was to cover it with humor, to shrug it off like he always did, but Makai's eyes told him that wouldn't fly here.

He shifted in his chair, forcing his shoulders back, and met Makai's gaze. "I… wasn't trying to talk circles around you, sir," he admitted, voice lower, steadier. "I've never had a conversation like this before. Nobody's ever cared enough to ask."


His fingers drummed lightly as they rested on his knees. "I'm not here to sway you, or impress you with big speeches. I just—" He paused, catching himself, then let out a breath. "I wanted you to know I don't take Persephone lightly. She doesn't let people close easy from what I gather, and she sure as stars doesn't owe me her time. But she's giving it anyway. That means something to me."


Kiran leaned back a little, finally daring a wry half-smile. "If I sounded too intense, maybe that's because I don't really know how to half-measure this kind of thing. Where I grew up, you either meant it, or you didn't."

He nodded toward Makai, respectful but firm. "So no—I'm not trying to win you over with words. I just figured you deserved the truth, even if I'm rough around the edges about it."

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

"No one has cared enough to ask - so you've dated a lot of girls then? Given what you've said I'm sure their families didn't bother with this step. Which...not quite unusual. Circumstances are different. Because of what my family has become and who I chose to marry - there are now different expectations. Those now fall on Persephone whether she likes it or not. Circumstances that dictate a certain....protocol of behavior, especially now that she is older."

Taking another sip of his whisky, Makai nodded at being rough around the edges. Teenage boys weren't the most eloquent. Those that were definitely set off alarm bells that they could be potential trouble. Thinking their smooth talking would sail past the heads of the adults.

"So you're an all or nothing type of guy. Admirable." Most likely youth bravado. Been there. "This is less an interrogation - at this point - unless things progress."

Given Persephone's track record, Makai didn't expect it to, but he wasn't going to rain on anyone's parade. Especially since the boy had the guts to come and speak to him.

"I'm sure you have questions for me too."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Kiran blinked at that last part, the weight of Makai's words circling in his head. He hadn't expected the question to come back his way. Most of his life, adults told him what to do. Being asked what he wanted to know felt… foreign.

He shifted a little in the chair, then looked up at Makai with a tentative steadiness.

"I guess…" he started, running a hand over the back of his neck, "…what does protocol of behavior mean for Persephone? For someone like me? I get that your family's important."

His voice grew more serious, less guarded. "I don't want to get in her way. Or make things harder for her because of me."

There was a pause, and then, with the barest trace of teenage bravado slipping back in, he added: "And… since I do want to see her again. What would you expect of me?"

He leaned forward slightly, not challenging, but curious. Sincere. Kiran wanted the rules laid out clearly.

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

"Again, you're running a marathon and you haven't even left the crib yet."

Makai shook his head. Was he so eager? Perhaps but reality had hit him cold just before his university years and wised him up quickly. He couldn't quite compare his experience to Kiran's either. Mister Kuhn had been a fixture in his life from a young age and navigating the conservation was different. Kiran had only met him once.

"How are you sure Persephone wants to see you again? You're friends, sure, that's one thing. There's a different element to a date that involves some level of pressure. Might be too much at this moment, after all Persephone has plans. You're both young."

He wasn't trying to dissuade the boy but given how he knew Persephone felt Makai was trying to set him up for success in navigating the minefield that was teenage relationships. Although telling someone to have low expectations when it came to such a thing was difficult without coming off as a complete ass.

"Persephone is in the trenches of getting into a university program. I don't expect that to be deviated from by marriage proposals, emotional blackmail, or teenage pregnancy."

Makai looked pointedly at the boy for the last part, as if daring him to say he never thought about the activities that led to such news.

"She is to finish university, no exceptions. To continue to represent the family in various social settings. To behave in a manner that won't have her splashed all over The Society section of the news and gossip columns. No getting drunk. No criminal activity. No attending the wrong kind of events. I may not be the scary type but my wife is, I advise you to stay on the straight and narrow."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

"I apologize...."

Kiran sat back at that, Makai's words landing with all the subtlety of a vibroblade to the gut. He could feel the heat rising to his face at the mention of marriage proposals and teenage pregnancy, but he forced himself not to squirm under the half-Galan's stare.


"I—no, sir," he said quickly, almost tripping over the words. "That's not what I came here for. I'm not… I'm not looking to derail her life or get in the way of what she's working for. If anything, I…" He trailed for a second, regrouped, and made himself hold Makai's gaze.

"I respect that she has plans. She's got a path and a future, and the last thing she needs is me dragging her off course. I get that. If all this ever amounts to is a friendship where she trusts me, I'll still count myself lucky."

Kiran finally picked up the whisky glass, only to set it back down without drinking, using it as a way to steady his hands. A crooked smile tugged at his lips, self-deprecating but genuine. "And if I ever had the nerve to try anything stupid, I don't think I'd need to worry about you or your wife. Persephone would bury me herself."

There was a pause before he added, quieter, "I don't need her splashed across any gossip columns either. I've lived most of my life trying not to end up on anyone's radar at all."

He leaned forward just slightly, more serious now. "So… I hear you. Loud and clear. Whatever this is, or isn't—I'll stay on the straight and narrow."

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

Satisfied for now, Makai merely nodded. It was a good answer for a first date ort even a second. It meant that at least the teenager has a basic grasp of what he was getting at ; Persephone's goals came first. As of right now, that seemed to land with the boy. Always different when hormones and feelings got involved but Makai knew he had some time for that.

"Good, well..."

Reclining back in his office chair, iced blue eyes regarded the boy once again.

"How about yourself? Plans? Ambitions? Goals? You're young so it could change but at this point I would expect you to have some rough idea. Even if it seems unobtainable, I'd like to hear them."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Kiran sat there a moment longer, the question settling heavier than anything Makai had asked yet. He'd come into this meeting expecting suspicion, maybe even outright dismissal, but ambition? That was harder.

He finally gave a small shrug, though his eyes didn't waver. "Plans. Yeah… I've thought about it." His fingers tapped lightly on the arm of the chair. "I don't want to drift forever. I've had enough of that. I want something to build on. Something that's mine."

There was a pause, then he leaned forward, speaking more honestly than he usually dared. "I like ships. I mean really knowing them. The guts of them. How to take them apart and put them back together better than before. Perhaps own my own ship someday and just explore, travel."

"Maybe it'll never happen. But that's what I see when I let myself think ahead."

Kiran's gaze steadied on Makai's. "And… I want to make sure I'm not the guy who just fades into the background anymore. Doesn't have to be rich, doesn't have to be famous. Just… someone people can rely on. That Persephone could rely on, if she ever wanted to." He let the words hang, feeling suddenly exposed, then leaned back in his chair. "So yeah. That's the rough idea. Might change, might not. But it's what I've got."

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

"Could always get you involved with my father's salvage crews. No better way to literally know the guts of a vessel."

He would know, working the salvage lines growing up. It was good to hear the boy didn't want to drift forever, although Makai wasn't quite sure what Kiran meant by drifting. Perhaps he had meant in terms of no goals or direction, more of an aimless type of situation. Didn't quite matter to their conversation in this regard.

"What do your parents think of this? Or if you don't have parents, whoever takes care of you?"

Makai was aware the boy had drifted into Aina Holdings path with their refugee program. Didn't mean there wasn't a family. A number had been separated or went in different directions for work. In some cultures, Kiran was old enough to strike it on his own but he didn't want to merely assume.

 

[Kiran Arlos]

"My parents…" he started, then let out a short breath through his nose. "My family they were taken from me a few years ago. There's really been no one looking out for me since they were killed." He gave a small shrug, one shoulder lifting almost casually, though the weight behind it betrayed more than his tone. "That's what I meant by drifting. You just… make do. Float from one thing to the next."

His gaze flicked back up to Makai, steady but guarded.

"Aina Holdings was the first place that didn't look at me like I was in the way. Your refugee program gave me a berth and a chance to prove I could pull my weight. So no, there's nobody that can object to me working salvage or…anything else. I'm the only one left."

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

Makai nodded soberly as the boy revealed he was the last of his lineage. The only one left in his family. Sadly, over the past two years since the started the program, it was a story all too familiar. Even his own cousin - Naomi Carolina - was still searching for her family and they had quite deep pockets and extra resources to burn. For someone living an average lifestyle? Impossible to find whether they were alive or deceased in some cases.

"I'm sorry to hear that. May Inari grant them peace in the beyond."

A follower of the Moross Crusade, Makai made a mental note to remember this family in his next prayer. A small shake of his head and he finished the rest of his whisky, quietly placing the lowball glass on the side of his desk.

"If you need anything outside of this, you can always ask. I'm fairly easy to find I would think, not like Persephone doesn't know where I am."

Fingers drummed on the table, thinking.

"I'm not sure I have any other first-date worthy questions. I have quite a bit to say but we're not on that marathon path yet, remember? So, what else for me? Anything?"

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Kiran let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, the edges of his posture easing just a little at Makai's words. It wasn't exactly approval, but it wasn't rejection either, and coming from a man like this, that felt like a small victory.

"Nothing that comes to mind. Well maybe one thing.... Not about Persephone, or me, but you." He hesitated, then leaned in slightly. "You said people can come to you if they need something. Do you mean that? Or was that one of those polite things adults say to make kids feel better?"

There was no edge in the question, only a kind of raw curiosity. Kiran had spent most of his life around people whose help came with conditions, debts, or strings he couldn't afford. To hear someone as established as Makai offer support so easily, it was hard for him to believe it without testing the weight of it.

Makai Dashiell

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Kiran Arlos

Makai regarded Kiran, curious as to what prompted the follow up question. He tried to put himself in those shoes to being a teenager not all too long ago. Typically, if he was asking something like this, it was certainly followed up with a problem. Much akin to when he would ask such a thing to ensure there was no anger from the adult in query.

"I mean it. I've not quite reached the 'polite things adults say to kids' that are not my own stage yet. I think I have a few decades."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Kiran blinked at that, surprised by how straightforward Makai's response was. He'd half expected a brush-off, something neat and polite to close out the conversation. Instead, he found himself staring across the desk at someone who meant exactly what he said.

The boy gave a short laugh, almost sheepish, running a hand over the back of his neck. "That's… good to know. I wasn't trying to bait you into some kind of promise." he admitted. "It's just—when people say stuff like that, usually it comes with strings. Or they're just being polite."

His eyes softened, a rare openness flickering through. "So if you mean it, I'll take it. Not as a crutch, not as an excuse to lean on you. Just… as something solid. That's more than most people have given me."

Makai Dashiell