The Things A Woman Knows

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric quietly waited in the lobby of a large corporate office building.

He wore his usual get up. A pair of HUD-G's and a nice tailored suit was was more expensive than the building over. His beard was tightly groomed and for once there were no bruises, scars, or cuts upon his face. He looked...good. Better than he had in a long while. There was a slight smile on his face and a calmness about it.

As he waited, Alric thought about the last time he had seen her.

[member="Danger Arceneau"].

The woman who had helped him so much, his only friend in the galaxy. The last time they had been together she had pointed out the obvious to him, she had helped him keep Silara, had helped him make her happy. For that, Alric owed her everything.

That wasn't why he was here.

It should have been. He should have come to her with flowers and a gift of some sort, but instead he simply came asking for more. He frowned slightly, shifting on his feet. At the very least he would tell her everything she wanted to know.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

“Mister Serin.”

The soft flowing voice of Danger’s assistant would come from the CEO’s right. Her skin was a dusky pink, with her blueblack hair falling down in soft dark waves around her shoulders.

“Miz Arceneau sends her apologies, but she has been delayed in a previous meeting with the Corellian Council. Might I be of assistance?” the Zeltron female would ask with a soft inquisitive tone. Those who would be more familiar to their methods would peg Aeri Vyn with former Companion training, and they would be right. The intricately crafted aura of hospitality and demeure sophistication would flow around her, likely not only not due to her trained skills but racial abilities as well.

The rebuilding of Corellia in the wake of the Netherworld merging one planet into the next was a toiling effort that had taken all of Danger’s attention. So much that expansion on Arceneau’s end to provide the vast amount of logistical necessity required the drafting of a vast new Headquarters for not only Arceneau Company, but for Browncoat Arms & Industrial, MaraTibX & Fuels, and Pharma Tech.

There was even a branching out into agriculture, seeing as the large part of the sweeping plains on Corellia had seen a vast amount of destruction. Attempts at rebuilding and reintroducing flora and fauna from the nearby Corellian planets in the Sector were one way to hopefully preserve Corellia’s newly endangered species.

Out in space, the ongoing construction of the Corellian Shipyards was in full swing, but alongside that were the mobile shipyards and Lwhekk Aleph-class Manufacturing Ships brought to the Sector to aid in reconstruction.

This wasn’t like Druckenwell -- this went well beyond that. From calculations, ATC would be spending quite a bit of time on the planet.

And likely will become a staple part of Corellian infrastructure as reconstruction efforts continued. For now, a makeshift temporary area had been set aside in Vilium, Titan Industries newest headquarters for the conglomerate.

Convenient, no?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric turned to the woman for a few moments.

Zeltron.

Funny how that was. Alric had a Zeltron of his own, though he wasn't part of the business plan so to speak. Kiran lead the Sons of Titan, the paramilitary organization that ensure Titan Industries got what it wanted. The coincidence of that amused Alric a great deal. Then again it probably shouldn't have, Zeltrons were a common people, and their talents were more than useful in the world of business.

He smiled slightly, but it didn't touch his eyes. There was of course more than a few options here. He could leave and come back later, he could leave and not come back, or he could simply wait. Ultimately, he decided on the last.

“No.” He said quietly. “I'm afraid I require Miss Arceneau herself. Important dealings about Corellia funnily enough.”

He gave her a look, smiling slightly.

Alric could wait. He owed her that much after leaving her to deal with Corellia...and Kiran.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Aeri Vyn was not to be swayed. Was it due to her desire to help or another reason entirely? Then again, she was a Zeltron.

They were a rather curious race.

A hand would extend, “Aeri Vyn,” she would introduce herself, smiling patiently. That aura of pleasant calm would radiate at her proximity.

“I am under full authority to act on behalf of Miz. Arceneau for Corellia -- I am more than willing to be of assistance.” That soft pleasant smile would shine upon Alric Kuhn with such charismatic flare.

“Your time is important, Mister Serin. How may I help you?”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He raised an eyebrow.

Well, the information he needed could be gotten from any employee, so was the deal that he wanted to make for Astraeus. The trouble was he didn't publicly run Astraeus, that was a Human Replica Droid by the name of Rebecca Bailey, but he knew coming her himself was better than sending Rebecca. Mostly because he needed to tell Danger he was sorry, and talk about what had happened. Not to mention tell her about Astraeus, that was important as well.

He needed to see his friend.

“You can't.” Alric simply said to her. He needed to speak to Danger, and he wasn't about to go shake his secrets to a random ATC employee, even if she was a rather pretty one. “I'll wait for Miss Arceneau.”

His voice told that he would not be swayed. Of course Danger would likely be slightly pissed that he was being so stubborn, but hopefully when he told her why she would calm herself. They were friends after all.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Well, he is certainly stubborn. Danger was right.

While the slight tension of alarm would rush through her, Aeri knew when she hit a wall. That wall was the impregnable Hennrich Serin.

“Of course,” a small gesture would then beckon the man to follow her.

“If you would please follow me,” she began, taking a small step back and to the side. “I can take you to her office to wait in the meantime.”

She would give a small half twist of her body, starting her walk.

“Would you care for any refreshment Mister Serin? Starcaf? Water? Or perhaps something with a bit more bite?”

The polished white halls and business offices in Vilium would reflect a modern but progressive style simplistic in nature as it was innovative. It was cast in curves and smooth edges, much like a woman one would suppose.

Had they any real inkling on the muse for the actual complex design, then it would make more sense.

“Miz. Arceneau may be delayed for up to an hour. “ she admitted pleasantly.

“Would you care for anything to eat?”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He smiled as they walked through the building. It was a simple thing of course, very simple. All he wanted was to tell Danger the truth, a secret, and an apology. She would likely be mad at first, but she'd get over it.

It's not like he was just dropping in, they had a scheduled meeting.

“No, Thank you.” He said politely to the woman at every turn of a question she posed to him.

They reached a small office, likely a temporary one, and Alric turned to the woman. He smiled at her, lips curling slightly. “I'll wait here then.”

He found himself a seat, letting his ankle rest on his knee as he looked up towards the Zeltron.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

“As you wish, Mister Serin.” Aeri would give a slight incline of her head.

“If there is anything you require, please do not hesitate to ask.” she would say in parting, slowly taking a couple of steps backs much in the manner an assistant does to ensure nothing is missed at the last second.

The hiss of the door would open for her departure. Then slide shut behind her.

The office was indeed small, but had a fantastic few out to the botanical gardens of the inner rings. Clean cut curves and comfort.

The desk wasn’t the traditional bodywood Danger had a preference for, but it worked. Much like the woman, a decanter of whiskey sat on top of her desk, as well as various sheets of filmsi, datapads, and datachips.

A wide lens holographic array sat at the right corner, likely where she spent the most of her time broadcasting various conference calls through the many headquarters of Arceneau Trade.

It was neat and organized, nothing to really draw the attention. Honestly, it was the view that really made the office. There were very few personal items to suggest the office had been lived in. At least, save a smaller array closer to her that would be familiar to any Dejarik player. A press of a button would reveal the holographic positions of an ongoing game. For now however, it was shut off.

With luck, Alric would not have to wait for long.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric simply sat and waited.

His eyes closed and he began to think, his hand reached into his jacket and he pulled a lose Viper from its place. He snagged the thing with his lips, searching for a small fire-starter that he knew to somewhere be within his jacket. After more than a few pats he found it, lighting the Viper almost too quickly.

Waiting was something he was used to by now.

He always had to wait on someone, always.

It seemed that the galaxy simply operated on a different time scale than Alri Kuhn. They moved slower, all of them. Danger was able to keep pace at times, and so was Silara, but it seemed that when he got in the zone neither of the two women could keep up. Smiling, he let out a stream of smoke. Perhaps that was the only unique thing about him.

Alric would muse further as he waited, slowly smoking.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

The meeting ended earlier than expected.

Granted, it took Danger a bit longer to come to terms with herself. Aeri gave her a debrief, as well as some much needed sense of calm before the storm.

Having Arceneau Trade be the largest contributor to humanitarian aid as well as providing resources for rebuilding and reconstruction had taken a toll on her. Every day was one meeting to the next, one conference call after another. One speeder ride to meet officials, business associates, oversee construction, come up with proposals, smooth over any issues, and well -- survive an assassination attempt. Alric had been right; there were many who were not pleased with what had occurred. Then again who could blame them?

Corellia’s landscape was charred and merged with another world. One would suggest that the Nine Hells had open up and taken the planet over. So no, she couldn’t blame. them.

Thankfully that had been quickly taken care of. There was no need for that bit of information to leak out there. Granted, she now had a new memoir on her body as a reminder that thankfully would remain out of sight and out of mind.

Unlike Alric Kuhn.

He was a pickle of a situation. One Danger wasn’t quite sure how to handle. But time had its ways of soothing over hurts to a degree. And if anything he wanted to discuss required her personal attention, well…

Reckon one would hope it wouldn’t run like the last time she met him.

Of course, that’s only fooling herself. She knew better.

He’d hear her before the hiss of the door would foretell her arrival. That same steady tattoo of her glide. When the door slid back, there Danger stood. Her hair was flowing down in a side part just past her shoulders in soft waves. She wore a fitted cream blouse that was tucked into a fitted black skirt. Classy as always when she played her role.

Her attention would draw to the man smoking a Viper by her desk. Typical, she’d muse. She couldn’t help the warming of her features at the sight of him.

He was, after all, her friend.

The door slid shut behind her, and she slowly made her way to her desk.


“Mistah Serin...” she’d say in her throaty voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

There was a spark of seemingly mischief in her gaze. Had to be. Because while the sight of him filled her with joy, his body language and content air about him told her more than words could relay.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He frowned slightly, opening one eye to look at her. Smoke rose from the Viper, slowly whisking into the air before disappearing into nothingness. There was a tiredness to his features, added along with the joy that he had felt in his heart.

Perhaps it was guilt weighing on him, or perhaps it was just age finally touching on his features.

Either way, Alric looked up at Danger, his voice gruff. “Do we have to start with that shit?”

There was a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. Clearly he didn't want to play any games this time, he only wanted to speak to his friend, not Danger Arceneau the temptress, the hostess. All he wanted was to talk to his friend.

Then they could talk business.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Her stride would slow, the corner of her mouth dropping a bit. Slowly she would blind at him as she came to a slow halt beside her desk.

Pausing in front of him, she leaned against the desk. A cross of her ankles and she would study the weary angles of Alric’s face. A few seconds would pass before she finally gave a nod.

That he didn’t even go straight to the game only increased the seriousness of the matter. Mentally, she would start to brace herself. On the outside, her expression softened and she would observe the man with warm eyes.

“No…” she began, acquiescing to his request. “We don’t.”

Her hands came to rest just over her belly, and her posture seemingly grew a bit more lax.

“How are you Alric?”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“I'm sorry, Danger.” They were the first words out of his mouth.

She would likely take them for something else at first. An apology for something that he knew nothing about, an apology for her hurt feelings, for the harm that he had done to her without knowing it. Such was not the case of course, but Danger wouldn't know that until he continued.

“I was selfish.” He sounded genuinely guilty. “I left you alone here on Corellia. Ran off to go be with Silara while you did all the work. I should have stayed and helped, and to top it off, it takes a business meeting for me to come and say I'm sorry.”

He looked at her, concerned.

They had not seen each other since that day, and although Alric had obviously returned, he had never said he was sorry for simply running off like that.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

It was a conundrum.

For a moment, there was this white hot sinking in her belly. That small dash of fear that he found her out. That he knew.

But as he would continue to elaborate that his apology was in reference to leaving her to handle Corellia, that it took a business meeting to see her again, she was caught amidst confusion and another pang of hurt.

That ghost of a smile would linger. A wall.

A hand would extend to gently brush his shoulder, squeezing it so. She would walk behind him to make her way to her seat.

“The Nine hells decided to come visit and you had more pressing matters, Alric.” she’d say with a glance barely over her shoulder. It wouldn’t seem out of place at all. Just how she was.

Or was she?

“Can’t blame you too much, you do have a natural state of obliviousness,” she’d say with a seemingly lighthearted tease. The banter was the usual; nothing different.

“Want anything to drink?” she’d ask, knowing she’ll need a stiff one of her own. Her came a lowball glass, the clink of ice.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“No.” He said shaking his head.

The smoke pooled within his mouth. The heavy taste lingering on his tongue before he released it in a steady cloud of smoke. It hung within the air for a moment, then dissipated. He watched it go, sighing slightly before swiveling his head towards her.

“I figure I at least owe you some answers.” His voice sounded more cheerful now. She had accepted his apology, and to Alric that meant the matter was done. Yet he still needed to make it up to her, Danger knew next to nothing about Silara save for an analogy that compared her to some Sabacc cards. If his best friends had any questions about the woman he loved, then now was the time to find answers.

Business would come second.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

So her name is Silara.

Danger had picked it up earlier, but she made no mention of it. For the most part, she was struggling with that nagging female desire to know more about the woman that managed to snag Alric's heart against that dark knot at the pit of her belly that really didn't want to hear any of it.

What was she doing? Was it jealousy? Fear? A bitterness that just would swell to coat her mouth with such bile? Or was there something more to it? It irked her. Especially considering that she should be by all accounts happy for the man.

Maybe that was just how the cards fell.

"You don't owe me anything, Alric." she would tell him, pouring herself a drink. Truth be told, he didn't. He never did. He came and went as he saw fit. Yes they had a friendship. Yes it was forged on an unorthodox fashion, but it was what it was and it had fit them well by all accounts.

"I take it things are good now with you and your lady love?" came her light question, and by all intents and purposes, seemingly just a general query of interest from one friend to another. Considering how things ended, Danger had a feeling that Alric simply needed to release and talk through whatever he had pent up to say.

All she had to do was listen.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He nodded in response to her. A simple answer, but one that actually filled all of what he wanted to say. Him and Silara were not than fine now, more than good. She had been worried for months that he would leave, that he would simply fly away. Those three words had assured her, and now it seemed that everything was set on the correct path.

“We worked things out.” He said with a quiet smile.

Alric watched her for a moment, then shook his head.

He realized that she was okay with a topic change, that for whatever reason she did not wish to speak about it. He shrugged inwardly, if she did not have any questions, then he would not give any answers. At least now now.

“Thats not the only reason I came here though.” His voice drifted slightly, and he turned towards her. “Astraeus Industrial. Do you know it?”

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Astraeus?"

Her back was to him, her focus shifting to the new question. Ah, back to business. Well with this I can handle things better.

Danger was trying to be a good friend to Alric. To a degree they were both very much the same. Few people ever knew the real character under their masks; and they were well intimately aware of the other.

Gotta keep it together, Danger.

The whiskey would rotate in the glass in her hand, a small whirlwind with every rock of her wrist.

She gave a half turn towards him, glancing at him. "A new company based off Hapes." a small arch of eyebrows would reveal she was going through her mental datafile.

"Created from a minor Hapan noble if word is right. Deals mostly within the Hapes Consortium, but hasn't really moved beyond there yet." a nod went to his direction.

"Hapes usually take to their own, so that isn't surprising." a few steps would lead her towards her seat. There, she would drape herself over the plush black leather. Sinking herself in the comfort, Danger would settle her attention upon Kuhn's swarthy visage.

"What about it?" her right leg would gracefully cross over her left, a faint brush of curiosity running over her face.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“I own it.” He simply confessed.

There were four people in the entire galaxy who knew that fact. Alric Kuhn, Silara Vantai, Kiran Vess, and now Danger Arceneau. He didn't count Rebecca in that number because she wasn't a person, but an HRD. He smiled at Danger, as if he was a boy that had done something very clever and was showing it off.

Of Course Astraeus had yet to do anything big, but any idiot could see that it was poised to do so.

The Corporation was quickly developing military weaponry for the Hapan Military, creating things that had never been seen before and were likely far more efficient than other weapons. Besides that, it had quietly begun to manufacture for the Jedi Order as well.

Astraeus was about to take a leap.

A large one.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

At this point, Danger didn't think anything else could surprise her.

For the first time, a genuine smile twisted into an amused smirk at the gall of the man. He sat there looking like the Nexu that ate the cream. Smug and proud of himself.

This was the Alric she knew and loved.

Her finger would come to a slight pause against her glass, head canting to the side. Eyes would widen somewhat.

Ahh, there it was.

Without a beat she gave a slow shake of her head. "You sly dog you." she would start to drawl out, bringing the glass to her lips to take a large sip. The burn would be familiar, a sting to get her to focus and breathe.

"Why am I not surprised?" she'd give a seemingly wry grin.

"How did you manage to pull that one off?"