(Star Wars) ~ Alice

VIII

The following afternoon, Dak and Alice flew to the countryside on Alderaan. There was a property in the valley that his realtor, Maxim Heslava, wanted to show him. Housed between two mountains, the plain the realtor had picked was within fifty meters of a lake. Alice fiddled with her thumbs; she was anxious to see the place as well, perhaps even a little more than Dak. "Are we there yet?" He carefully set the ship down a little ways from where Max was waiting for them. "We are." Unstrapping himself from his seat, Dak spun the chair around to see her nervous state. "What's wrong, Little One?"

"I'm nervous." She answered, ducking her head a little and trying to avoid his gaze. "I'm a little nervous too. This is the first time in a few years that I've had to build a palace. Plus, I've never used this realtor before..." He walked over and took a knee in front of her seat. "I've got you though; nothing will happen, I promise. When we're done with him, we can go to the beach..." A smile lit up her face as she took his hand then exited the ship. With their fingers intertwined, Dak felt slightly less anxious to meet this man. Truth was, he didn't like meeting new people; Alice was different. She was the only stranger he actually wanted to meet, despite the circumstances of her arrival. Taking a deep breath, they approached a Nautolan man who was sitting on a speeder bike, scrolling through his holopad. "You must be Maxim Heslava." The Nautolan flashed a smile and stood up. "That would be me, I take it you're Dak Vader? And who might this pretty lady be?" He asked flashing another smile, this one more pointed and directed at Alice.

Something about the way he looked at her unsettled Dak; he gently tugged Bunny to his side, wrapping a possessive arm around her shoulders. "This is my girlfriend, Alice Voss." He knew she'd bring it up later but he'd rather deal with the consequences than watch the alien flirt with her. Max's face fell a little as he took a step back, almost as if he was re-evaluating the situation. "Well then, are you ready to look over the property sir?"

"Absolutely." Dak kept a pleasant smile on his face, especially since Bunny would get upset if he got angry or something. "So the property covers pretty much the whole valley, save the rocks at the bottom of each mountain. The space in total is more than a hundred acres; the palace would take up anywhere from twenty to thirty-four acres, depending on the size." Max took a few steps back, glancing around the valley. "The full price is around two point five million credits but with a monthly payment plan, the down payment would only be around a hundred thousand. It's expensive, yes but you have this entire valley to yourselves; that includes the natural lake, meadow and the forest that sits near the eastern border of the property."

Alice seemed to perk up as she listened to all the property included. "It sounds beautiful here." She commented, not actually aware she had said that aloud. "I think so too." The side of Dak's mouth tugged up as he looked at her. "How soon can construction begin here?" Max turned back towards his clients. "As soon as you pay the down payment, I can have blueprints sent to your Tatooine residence by tomorrow. Once you've decided on one, all you have to do is tell me and I'll get the architects down here with the builders. I'd say anywhere from a few days to two weeks until the team would break down." The gangster nodded along, understanding all the steps it would entail if he bought it. "Unfortunately, I didn't bring my credits with me but I can electronically send you the full price by tomorrow evening."

"An electronic transfer will suffice. All I need is for you to sign this form indicating future payment and it will be as good as yours." Max held out his data pad to the gangster, eager to make the sale. Dak signed it then dismissed the realtor. Once they could no longer see or hear the bike zooming away, he picked Alice up by the waist and spun around with her. "We gonna have a summer house!" He laughed happily, bringing her into an embrace. She stiffened at first then mirrored his enthusiasm with a smile.

"I'm happy for you, Dak."

"Not for me, Bunny; for us. This will be your house too." He returned her smile, gently lowering her back down after another hug. "I brought some of our clothes from home; how would you like to test the waters?" This time her face lit up as she jumped up and down at the idea. "Yes please!" He chuckled, taking her by the hand as they walked back to the ship. A few minutes later, she raced down the ramp with Dak on her tail. It warned his heart to see her so happy. For a little while, they splashed in the water; Dak noticed she got a thoughtful look on her face as Alice began to still in her play, simply floating on her back.

"A credit for your thoughts, Little One?"

"I was just thinking about the day... About what you said to him earlier." She answered, the second part rather softly. He stilled beside her, standing up on the sand bar. "Oh... That... I'm sorry, Alice. I just didn't like the way he was looking at you; it was like he was... That man was going to get a little too friendly with you. I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable."

"N-No... I um... I didn't mind." She answered, blushing a little, unsure how he would respond. "Really?" He perked up at this. "How would it make you feel if I said I wanted that statement to be true?"

"I...I wouldn't mind that... You make me feel... safe." She started blushing deeper as she avoided his eyes. "Do you feel unsafe when I'm not around?" He moved a little closer to her. "Maybe a little.. It's just, I know nothing is going to hurt me when you're nearby." She admitted, practically whispering. Slowly, Dak guided Alice to her feet. "Well... I don't like seeing you hurt or upset; it hurts my heart, believe it or not." He walked them in a little bit so she could stand in front of him; he kept his hands resting on her hips. "I love seeing you smile and that laugh of yours... Oh Bunny, it's like music to my ears. I just wanna make you happy, Alice; how can I do it now?" She nestled against him as best as she could.

"Hold me?"

He swiftly picked her up again, this time bridal style, as Dak walked in towards the shoreline. "Absolutely." He continued over to where they had some beach towels laid out; he kept her close as he sat on top of one. "You don't even have to ask..." She nestled even closer, her small hands idly running across his broad shoulders. "How would you like to be my girlfriend, Alice?"