Olympus Station

[Seth]

It was before either mother or daughter would like to be spilled from their interludes - but after a great deal of pleasure basking on both their parts - that Xiantha made her way into the station. She'd gotten confirmation from Daig earlier, and a 'happy to have you for dinner!' message from her father.

Sylvia had finally gotten clothes - after waiting very, very patiently for Xiantha's escapades to conclude - and looked stunning in a gold-gilt dress that Xiantha had picked up somewhere and shoved to the bottom of her closet. Patrick did his best not to be utterly aroused by the two women, of such similar builds. Sylvia had a certain submissive knack - she easily fell in step with Xiantha, and after a few steps, her hips were even swaying in time with the 'Gifted' who she was hoping would adopt her. It was that synchronicity that most distracted Patrick, and after a few halls he was thinking deeply about engine mechanics and gun-cleaning drills to avoid pulling Xiantha off into a closet of the unfinished station.

"There's more built every day," he chuckled, looking to make any kind of conversation at all.

[JanetJulian]

Xi blinked at Patrick, somewhat amused by his determined line of thought. The sudden jump in subject caught her by surprise and she spent a moment mulling over whether he meant guns or engines before she realized he meant the station.

She smiled at him. "Yes, indeed. Lots more built than last time I was here."

She paused at a viewport and looked out, stepping aside to give Sylvia a good view. "Looks like he has the house mostly done." She pointed towards the top of the dome. "He's going to plant a whole orchard."

[Seth]

Patrick chuckled. "There's more done than when I was here, and that was two days ago." He grinned, realizing he might have mysteriously lost track of time, a problem he'd been having routinely and could lay right at Xi's shapely feet. "Maybe three."

Sylvia smiled and stepped forward, looking out the viewport and up towards the dome - it was just possible to see the dome itself, but not the house or the land. "Like some of the military bass," she nodded. "Built on space stations. Well, no orchards on those."

She smiled and pointed out towards one of the arms, putting her hand on the small of Xi's back to gain her attention and draw it towards the arm she was pointing at. "Look, they're testing the lighting."

A great neon sign lit up on a part of the arm - J - O - S - I, but the E flickered and then went back out, and the sign blinked off after a moment. Sylvia chuckled. "Guess they'd still be working out the kinks."

[JanetJulian]

Xi grinned at Patrick's correction and then leaned forward looking out towards the arm Sylvia pointed at, unaware of quite the picture the two women made looking out the viewscreen.

"So they are." She chuckled when the E fizzled. "Josie? Guess he decided he wanted his name up in lights." She chuckled, thinking back to the last time she met the engineer face to face and couldn't help glancing over to Patrick, suddenly aware that this might be a bit awkward. Surely he wouldn't expect ... well, hard to know, really. But they'd gone their separate ways.

Still she bet Teala would be glad to see him again.

"C'mon, let's go see whose here." She grabbed Sylvia's hand without really thinking, and Patrick's in the other and drew them away back towards the central lift with a trademark bounce in her stride. It would be good to see her Dad again and to find out what he had in mind for them.

[Seth]

Patrick chuckled, looking out, then completely distracted by the sight of two women peering over the rail out the enormous window. He chided away the fantasies about the two of them naked - and similarly bent over - and focused on his mantra about gun cleaning again, with less effectiveness.

"Looks like a bunch of shops are going to have lights," Sylvia pointed out, leaning and gesturing to another arm. "I think i can just see 'fuel' over there. But not lit yet."

Sylvia laughed, following along, bouncing in similar ways to Xiantha. Patrick chuckled and followed along, his mantra shattered once the two ladies were bouncing in unison. Soon, the three of them were cozy in the elevator-tube, with Sylvia and Patrick letting Xi press the buttons to deliver them.

[JanetJulian]

Xi nodded at Sylvia's gesture, trying not to be distracted by Patrick's thoughts and not quite succeeding. she grinned at the gun cleaning mantra and squeezed his hand before letting both of them go while she found the floor she was interested in - the command deck where she'd expect to find her father unless he was out overseeing something.

She leaned back, sliding her arm around Patrick and looked out at the passing station, unable to stop herself from thinking just how much Sylvia would enjoy making Patrick's fantasies come true. She just wasn't all that sure she was interested in it. She found herself feeling surprisingly territorial over Patrick, which made her feel a little guilty and she managed to set it all aside as they approached the indicated floor, eager to see her father again.

[Seth]

The command deck didn't yet seem to be operational - it was one of several decks still lined in yellow, but at least not in red. It made a certain amount of sense - while the construction of those decks would be critical in the long run, they'd be far less time consuming than some of the more aesthetic or engineering-critical decks.

Patrick smiled at her, sliding his arm around her in return. His mantra was largely to remind himself that he was a one-woman man, and happy that way - though his biology demanded an appreciation for just how stunning the two looked together. The elevator had begun to move, up to wards the uppermost deck, and Sylvia 'oohed' and leaned forward as they passed an enormous, circular promenade with great glass windows overlooking Greenleaf.

"Gorgeous," said Sylvia, grinning back to Xiantha.

[JanetJulian]

Xi nodded. "He's really outdone himself here. Mom has definitely managed to instill a sense of the dramatic in him." She smiled and leaned to kiss Patrick's cheek, though part of her wondered if she was really a one-man woman - or two-man in this case.

But that was a discussion for another time.

She decided to head for the house. If he wasn't there Mom would be, and she'd know how to track him down.


[There must be a command center of some kind that he's running things out of and my thought was that she'd head there, even if it wasn't the eventual intended command deck, but the house works too.]

[Seth]

"It's definitely going to be... dramatic," he chuckled. "And it won't look like anything in the Core, either. An Alliance station would have passed through two security checkpoints by now," he chuckled.

He gave her a kiss, and followed with her.

[There have been several, continuing to change as more of the station is built. Once the dome was pressurized, it became the defacto command center, since the workers could remove their suits and relax.]

Sylvia once again pressed forward on the glass as they moved up the tube - the open glass style brought a few exhibitionist thoughts to her mind, but she suppressed them, glancing over her shoulder to where Xi leaned against Patrick.

"How far along is your mother? Is she due soon?"

[JanetJulian]

"Well, I imagine security will be increased once this place is operational, but still - can't imagine it will be anything like an Alliance station." She couldn't help the pride in that and let her gaze move back to the station as they moved upward.

"Hmm?" She glanced at Sylvia. "Umm ... I've lost track," she admitted. "But she's getting close, I think. Eighth month maybe?"

[Seth]

Patrick chuckled. "I expect half the appeal will be minimal security. I expect Daig's working overtime to figure out how to cater to smugglers and thieves without becoming a target for them. A Tortuga of the Rim," he chuckled. "That's what he called it. Though I don't know what a Tortuga is."

Sylvia chuckled at losing track, thinking it a pleasant change from her control-freak former master. "Wow. So any day now." She clapped her hands. "Well, I'm sure she's up to her eyes in would-be nannys. I love children."

[JanetJulian]

Xi nodded and then chuckled. "It was an island on old earth that pirates frequented. They all played nice while there and left each other alone - peace between thieves - and Tortuga was quite wealthy because of it. Sounds like something my dad could pull off."

She smiled at Sylvia. "Or any week." She shrugged. "I couldn't tell you, really. But I doubt it. Not too many nanny's on the station." Though the notion of Sylvia being a full time nanny just seemed like a waste of talent.

[Seth]

He laughed, liking the idea. "Well, pirate dress code could be fun," he grinned. "Wouldn't be half-off from how some spacers dress." He seemed amused, giving her small waist a squeeze. "Seems dangerous to be the King, though."

"Well, not yet. But your mother is famous and rich. I'm sure applications are already enroute." She seemed amused, turning back towards the glass as they made the final ascent, up towards the expansive house and the grounds, the trees - all of it new since Xi's last visit.

"Wow," said Sylvia. "Gorgeous."

[JanetJulian]

"You'd look mighty cute in pirate gear," she agreed with a grin, not touching the second part of his sentiment.

Xi chuckled at Sylvia's continued interest. "She's also very particular. And kind of scary if you haven't known her all your life. She appreciates people who can go toe to toe with her, and they tend to be few and far between." It occurred to her that she owed as much of her confidence and verbal sparring ability to her mother as she did her father, actually probably far more so, which amused her somewhat.

"You thinking of applying?" She asked, still leaning against Patrick.

[Seth]

"You'd like just the sort of booty I'd like to pillage," he teased. He gave her rear a small, possessive smack and squeeze. "Or like one hell of a pirate wench."

Sylvia chuckled. "No, actually. I think I'd like the idea for a weekend or so. I played nanny to a rich family on Osiris once - politicians, and Qun Shi wanted me to get close and influence their political aspirations. It was a fun month, but I think mostly by comparison - very jet set, and the kids were great. It was just nice to have a job without a whole lot of blackmail and treachery and bloodshed."

"Besides, I'm only going to be safe near you."

The elevator stopped at the top of the shaft, bringing into view the splendid house perched atop the station. Fields and great rows of trees extended in all directions, and over three dozen crates were parked near the elevator, deliveries of some kind which hadn't yet been moved or opened.

Sylvia looked around with a smile, while Patrick leaned to give Xi a nibble on her neck. He teased at the remote concealed in his palm, sending a warm spike of pleasure through Xi, then cut the remote and straightened so she could walk to the house.

[JanetJulian]

"Hey! No fondling the booty on the job," she said, giving his hand a playful smack. "And that's Captain Wench to you." She laughed merrily.

Her eyes widened slightly at Syliva's description on her jobs. "They were all like that?" She didn't bother hiding the surprise in her voice that someone would put up with such treatment.

Xi turned and smiled at the house and the orchard, still impressed by all her father had managed to accomplish here. "I wonder what those are?" She asked aloud, stepping closer to see if there was anything helpful written on the crates. Patrick caught up to her there and she shivered as he flicked the little egg on and off, biting her lower lip between her teeth to stop from moaning as his mouth traced a hot path down her neck.

"Dad shouldn't be too far..." she said with considerable less conviction than earlier.

[Seth]

"Pretty sure fondling booty IS a pirate's job," he chuckled. "Captain Wench." His thumb hovered near the remote for a minute as he said it, but he didn't tease her just yet.

"Enough of them," said Sylvia. She gave an apologetic smile to Xiantha, then glanced down to the floor, feeling embarrassed she'd allowed herself to be made such a tool in return for what she thought was love, and the taste of immortality.

Patrick glanced with her, and then chuckled as he recognized a few shipping labels. "Cloth, some furniture. Looks like someone's nesting." He grinned, then watched her reaction to the egg with barely constrained glee.

"Close, I'm sure," he nodded, pointing out by default that he wasn't actually present yet, and she wasn't safe until he was.

[JanetJulian]

"And here I thought it was stealing the booty in the first part."

Xi reached out and put a hand on Sylvia's arm for a moment. "It will be different now," she promised, before turning to the crates.

She gave another shiver and then stepped purposefully away, moving for the front door.

"Dad!" she cried out, opening the door and looking around.

[Seth]

[pause]

[Seth]

"Stolen," he teased, giving her rump a squeeze. "and fondled."

Sylvia nodded at the reassurance, looking tempted to embrace Xi, but holding off on her instinct.

Patrick let her step away, enjoying the shiver in her step, teasing at the ring as if he might test her ability to put up with higher settings before letting her seek the refuge of her father.



A startled woman answered the door - or tried to. Xi had beaten her to the punch, instead opening the door into her. She went down in a crumpled heap, staggering back and holding her nose, looking wide-eyes and surprised at Xiantha.

[JanetJulian]

Xi blinked as the door bounced off a person, stepping back, wide-eyed and then forward to her side.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone would answer." She helped the pretty woman to her feet. "I'm Xi. Who are you?"

[Seth]

"Taylor," said the woman, her voice muffled from trying to staunch a small flow of blood from her nose. It hadn't been broken - Xi's empathy could pick up on that - but it had been bloodied, and she accepted the offer to her feet even as Patrick appeared to help her up as well, and Sylvia lingered over Xi's shoulder. "I'bd de new cook."

She pulled her hand away, a mistake that let a new surge of blood well from her nose, and she grasped it again. "Uhm - Pryor's ubstairs." She continued to cover her nose, not quite sure hot to demur to tend to her self with anything like the savoire faire expected of a Daig butler.

[JanetJulian]

"Cook? Oh, no, I'm so sorry." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and offering it to Taylor. She had to hide a blink when the woman referred to her father as Pryor. Pretty much the only person who used his first name was her mother, but then maybe she'd picked it up from her.

"Thanks," she said, giving a rueful smile. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

[Seth]

There'd been a flash from the woman's mind as she said the name - it was more a matter of finding it strange to call him 'Daig' when another well known Daig was standing in front of her. "S'ok," she smiled. "Used to lots of accidents in the kitchen." She took the offered kerchief, tilting her head back, as if a bloody nose was not infrequent in a busy kitchen.

"No, no" she shook her head. "Go on up. They're expecting you." She smiled as best she could around the kerchief. "I'll bring some dinner up in a few minutes. Just give me a chance to clean up."

"Don't be silly," smiled Patrick. "I can carry it up." He looked to Xi with a nod, and Taylor seemed to consider before nodding. She didn't seem to recognize Sylvia by description, but she'd clearly expected a few for dinner, and likely wouldn't mind an extra hand.

[JanetJulian]

Xi nodded, feeling a bit better at the glimpse of the woman's reasoning. She knew well how jealous her mother could get, and how blind her father. She'd done her part in redirecting a number of them and was glad to see this wasn't another case.

"Thanks," she said, glancing over at Patrick's offer. She tamped down the immediate temptation to be jealous - the cook was undeniably beautiful. But she trusted Patrick so she just nodded and leaned to kiss his cheek.

"Very generous offer, dear," and it occurred to her that he was likely just as happy to spend as little time with her mother and father together as anything. There was still a bit of tension there.

"See you guys in a bit," she said, motioning for Sylvia to follow her as she started up the stairs.

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