Cascade – Lead Me Not Into Temptation - I Already Know the Way
by Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
Shi'enna swaggered into the Box, her entire body radiating confidence. Without her full-body wrap, she was... not your typical alien noblewoman. She wore a pair of tight khaki pants, stained muddy from too many days spent knee-deep in dirt. A green and gold sash wound around her hips, augmenting her naturally curvaceous figure. It was hard to see the designs woven to the sash, clumped as it was, but it was obviously a piece of Telian heritage, considering the fact that the rest of her outfit was decidedly Earthy. To top it all off, she wore an old battered, faded Manchester United T-shirt.
And if that wasn't un-Duchess-y enough, as she hopped up onto the nearest barstool, across from Yolanthe, she spoke. "Hey, there." She had a natural cultured lilt, combined with the fact that Federation Standard wasn't her first language, then add to that, her adoptive parents were from the American Southeast. Her voice didn't seem to know what to do with itself. "Don't suppose you have a Coke?"
The tall woman riased an eyebrow. "The earth one? No. The modern stuff is replicated and the orginal stuff is as rare as a ferengi's charity. I've got several other Colas though. Not slug-o-cola." She picked a menu off the bar. "Take a look, if you see anything you fancy, just say."
"Darn," Shi said. "Haven't had a real Coke in two years. Would've been nice, I suppose." She glanced down at the menu, then back up at the bartender. "What about Root Beer? Real Root Beer?"
"I have real root beer," she moved to a fridge under the bars a little way down, returned with a bottle that had a rime of frost on it, and used the bar top to knock the cap off. "Here you go. One earth root beer. Glass?"
Shi shook her head, then took a sip from the glass. "Ah," she sighed. She set the glass down, then looked up at Yolanthe. "I may no have been in the best of moods last time i was in here," she said. "But, I don't think we've met. I'm Lady Shi'enna Oramen." she took another swig of the root beer.
"Pleased to meet you your grace." the towering woman replied, "Welcome to my humble establishment."
"Glad to be here." Shi'enna said. "And just call me Shi. Only time I really ever go by any formal terms are when I'm around my own people."
Yolanthe nodded. "And where are your own people?"
Shi shruggd. "Here and there. Some of us are exiled to the Alpha Quadrant. You've met one - Colonel Makani."
"Colonel?" Yolanthe for a moment was aqua. "He didn't say he was a soldier."
Shi'enna shrugged "My people know very little of what happened in the Gamma Quadrant after we came here, so we're hungry for knowledge of home. Where do you think he got those scars?"
Yolanthe wracked her brains. He had mentioned it. "He said in service of 'The Emperor'. And he mentioned a cockpit." She had gone a straw colour. "Does that help?"
"I suppose he was a pilot," Shi'enna whispered. Then - "The Emperor - Aken might still be alive. Or..." she looked up at Yolanthe. "He was educated in Cieria, he might have served Tevaryn during the war." She sighed. "Sorry, you don't need to hear all about how my people tore at each other's throats for ten years. At least it's over now, right? And we can start figuring out what to do next."
Yolanthe nodded, "Absolutely," it was always a safe thing to say. "Why don't you just ask him?"
Shi'enna sighed. "Last time I saw him, I was a bratty kid who thought to much of herself. I went to Ramath Galian - one of my planet's major cities - to see some 'culture'. I ended up gawking at the academy cadets in all their fine uniforms for three months. He was one of them. I'm sorry to say, I had a crush. And I made a lot of those boys - Makani included - very uncomfortable." She smiled at Yolanthe. "To answer your question, I'm immensely embarrassed."
The bokkai laughed, turning a summary azure in the process. "Men are for looking fine and gawking at. A little discomfort doesn't hurt them. If he was pretty once, then you shouldn't feel bad for looking."
"He's still not that bad to took at," Shi said, her tone harkening back to the girl she'd once been. "Following a war, many women find scars like his appealing. Not that i'm interested, of course," She added.
"Of course you're not." Yolanthe said it with a straight face, but her tone said she clearly disagreed.
"I'm not," she said again, her voice carrying a certain weight, though there was still a hint of levity buried in the mix of accents.
"If you weren't interested, why would you be embarrassed over finding him attractive?"
"Women of my race found out long ago the route to power and influence is through our men." Shi'enna explained, "For the stability of the Telian exiles throughout this quadrant, I will seize that power. My future mate is a man who doesn't know his own influence," She gave a devious grin, "I intend to show him that influence, unify our people, and reestablish the Telenar dynasty through my own children." Shi'enna didn't mention that she truly loved her atrein. It didn't seem to be something Yolanthe would appreciate. "It is simply the way things are, or rather, will be. I cannot afford a childish attraction to a washed-up soldier. I'm sure you can appreciate that fact."
Yolanthe thought about it, remembering the conversation she had with Akamu. "Actually, no. We're from very different worlds. Men have no power where I come from. And you can be attracted to whoever you like as long as you do The Duty."
"Duty?" Shi repeated.
"Mate," Yolanthe clarified. "With the scheduled male for the evening."
"Required mating, I understand. But a mating schedule?" Shi said skeptically. "Give me a shared husband any day."
"Too chancy." She leaned over the bar to the Telian. "And there is no word for husband in my language. The closest you can get is concubine, or odalisque." She raised an eyebrow in suggestion.
Shi'enna leaned forward conspiratorially. "No word for husband? We have no word for wife. I have a feeling our cultures are polar opposites."
"more than likely, from what I've seen of the universe. Women don't tend to be on top. Still, I'll take my culture over yours, any day of the week. I can at least have had my man of influence and my washed up soldier and no one would look twice." Yolanthe gave Shi'enna a mischeveious grin. "Maybe you should become one of my tribe, then you can have all the men you can handle."
"But that would forfeit my children's inheritance," Shi'enna said, honestly confused.
"You have children?" Yolanthe looked surprised, Shi'enna didn't strike her as someone who had given birth.
"No. Not yet." She looked pensive, then smiled up at Yolanthe. "But soon, though." At over thirty, she was entering the time in her life when she should be thinking about her offspring's eventual mate, not where she was.
"Then I wish you a full belly." the bartender took her water bottle from under the counter, and raised it in toast to the Telian. "May you have boys."
"I will," Shi'enna said with certainty. She couldn't afford anything less than a healthy son.
Akamu entered and sat at the bar silenlty. He was about to summon Yolanthe for a drink when he saw Shi'enna. The change from weary, sore mercenary to upright, honorable officer was instant and drastic. He surged to his feet, nearly knocking over a nearby Starfleet officer. He looked Shi'enna up and down, bowed stiffly, then backed away and made for the door as quickly as possible.
Yolanthe turned a pretty sky blue, and raised a comspiratorial eyebrow. "What happens in The Box, stays in The Box..."
Shi'enna smiled mischievously at Yolanthe. "Colonel," she called out, stopping Akamu in his tracks. Slowly, he turned, his eyes fixed upon the floor, his mouth drawn in a tight line.
Shi smiled at Yolathe again, feeling quite the rebel.
"Come here, Colonel," she commanded.
He approached as ordered and gave a short bow. "Forgive me, my Lady," he said. "But I'm not an officer any longer. If you must be formal, del'u Shan is the appropriate form of address."
The bokkai put a glass down in front of him and poured two generous fingers, of dutch courage, before retreating to another customer.
Akamu looked at the glass wordlessly, then back to Shi'enna. "Is there something in particular you needed, my Lady?" He said. He gave her a stupid little grin. "You still looking for passage to the Belt?"
Shi'enna smiled. "I thought I'd stay at DS5 for a while," she answered. "Maybe you and I could talk."
Akamu took the glass and drained it in one gulp. "You don't wanna ask me those questions, Shi'enna."
"Questions?"
"About home, about the war. Don't ask, 'cuz you won't like the answers." He gave her another wolfish grin then turned to leave.
"Da es bala a kanan," he said before marching off.
"A good start," Yolanthe observed. "He wasnt screaming and running. What did he say?"
"Hold onto the present," Shi'enna whispered quietly, watching his retreating back.
OFF
A JP between
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, the Box of Delights
Shi'enna Oramen (NPC)
Civilian
&
Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Mecenary
by Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
| Title | Lead Me Not Into Temptation - I Already Know the Way | |
| Mission | Cascade | |
| Author(s) | Citizen Akamu "Ka'er" Makani & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin | |
| Posted | Tue Feb 05, 2013 @ 11:50pm | |
| Location | Box of Delights | |
| Timeline | SD70 - 0120 - Backpost |
And if that wasn't un-Duchess-y enough, as she hopped up onto the nearest barstool, across from Yolanthe, she spoke. "Hey, there." She had a natural cultured lilt, combined with the fact that Federation Standard wasn't her first language, then add to that, her adoptive parents were from the American Southeast. Her voice didn't seem to know what to do with itself. "Don't suppose you have a Coke?"
The tall woman riased an eyebrow. "The earth one? No. The modern stuff is replicated and the orginal stuff is as rare as a ferengi's charity. I've got several other Colas though. Not slug-o-cola." She picked a menu off the bar. "Take a look, if you see anything you fancy, just say."
"Darn," Shi said. "Haven't had a real Coke in two years. Would've been nice, I suppose." She glanced down at the menu, then back up at the bartender. "What about Root Beer? Real Root Beer?"
"I have real root beer," she moved to a fridge under the bars a little way down, returned with a bottle that had a rime of frost on it, and used the bar top to knock the cap off. "Here you go. One earth root beer. Glass?"
Shi shook her head, then took a sip from the glass. "Ah," she sighed. She set the glass down, then looked up at Yolanthe. "I may no have been in the best of moods last time i was in here," she said. "But, I don't think we've met. I'm Lady Shi'enna Oramen." she took another swig of the root beer.
"Pleased to meet you your grace." the towering woman replied, "Welcome to my humble establishment."
"Glad to be here." Shi'enna said. "And just call me Shi. Only time I really ever go by any formal terms are when I'm around my own people."
Yolanthe nodded. "And where are your own people?"
Shi shruggd. "Here and there. Some of us are exiled to the Alpha Quadrant. You've met one - Colonel Makani."
"Colonel?" Yolanthe for a moment was aqua. "He didn't say he was a soldier."
Shi'enna shrugged "My people know very little of what happened in the Gamma Quadrant after we came here, so we're hungry for knowledge of home. Where do you think he got those scars?"
Yolanthe wracked her brains. He had mentioned it. "He said in service of 'The Emperor'. And he mentioned a cockpit." She had gone a straw colour. "Does that help?"
"I suppose he was a pilot," Shi'enna whispered. Then - "The Emperor - Aken might still be alive. Or..." she looked up at Yolanthe. "He was educated in Cieria, he might have served Tevaryn during the war." She sighed. "Sorry, you don't need to hear all about how my people tore at each other's throats for ten years. At least it's over now, right? And we can start figuring out what to do next."
Yolanthe nodded, "Absolutely," it was always a safe thing to say. "Why don't you just ask him?"
Shi'enna sighed. "Last time I saw him, I was a bratty kid who thought to much of herself. I went to Ramath Galian - one of my planet's major cities - to see some 'culture'. I ended up gawking at the academy cadets in all their fine uniforms for three months. He was one of them. I'm sorry to say, I had a crush. And I made a lot of those boys - Makani included - very uncomfortable." She smiled at Yolanthe. "To answer your question, I'm immensely embarrassed."
The bokkai laughed, turning a summary azure in the process. "Men are for looking fine and gawking at. A little discomfort doesn't hurt them. If he was pretty once, then you shouldn't feel bad for looking."
"He's still not that bad to took at," Shi said, her tone harkening back to the girl she'd once been. "Following a war, many women find scars like his appealing. Not that i'm interested, of course," She added.
"Of course you're not." Yolanthe said it with a straight face, but her tone said she clearly disagreed.
"I'm not," she said again, her voice carrying a certain weight, though there was still a hint of levity buried in the mix of accents.
"If you weren't interested, why would you be embarrassed over finding him attractive?"
"Women of my race found out long ago the route to power and influence is through our men." Shi'enna explained, "For the stability of the Telian exiles throughout this quadrant, I will seize that power. My future mate is a man who doesn't know his own influence," She gave a devious grin, "I intend to show him that influence, unify our people, and reestablish the Telenar dynasty through my own children." Shi'enna didn't mention that she truly loved her atrein. It didn't seem to be something Yolanthe would appreciate. "It is simply the way things are, or rather, will be. I cannot afford a childish attraction to a washed-up soldier. I'm sure you can appreciate that fact."
Yolanthe thought about it, remembering the conversation she had with Akamu. "Actually, no. We're from very different worlds. Men have no power where I come from. And you can be attracted to whoever you like as long as you do The Duty."
"Duty?" Shi repeated.
"Mate," Yolanthe clarified. "With the scheduled male for the evening."
"Required mating, I understand. But a mating schedule?" Shi said skeptically. "Give me a shared husband any day."
"Too chancy." She leaned over the bar to the Telian. "And there is no word for husband in my language. The closest you can get is concubine, or odalisque." She raised an eyebrow in suggestion.
Shi'enna leaned forward conspiratorially. "No word for husband? We have no word for wife. I have a feeling our cultures are polar opposites."
"more than likely, from what I've seen of the universe. Women don't tend to be on top. Still, I'll take my culture over yours, any day of the week. I can at least have had my man of influence and my washed up soldier and no one would look twice." Yolanthe gave Shi'enna a mischeveious grin. "Maybe you should become one of my tribe, then you can have all the men you can handle."
"But that would forfeit my children's inheritance," Shi'enna said, honestly confused.
"You have children?" Yolanthe looked surprised, Shi'enna didn't strike her as someone who had given birth.
"No. Not yet." She looked pensive, then smiled up at Yolanthe. "But soon, though." At over thirty, she was entering the time in her life when she should be thinking about her offspring's eventual mate, not where she was.
"Then I wish you a full belly." the bartender took her water bottle from under the counter, and raised it in toast to the Telian. "May you have boys."
"I will," Shi'enna said with certainty. She couldn't afford anything less than a healthy son.
Akamu entered and sat at the bar silenlty. He was about to summon Yolanthe for a drink when he saw Shi'enna. The change from weary, sore mercenary to upright, honorable officer was instant and drastic. He surged to his feet, nearly knocking over a nearby Starfleet officer. He looked Shi'enna up and down, bowed stiffly, then backed away and made for the door as quickly as possible.
Yolanthe turned a pretty sky blue, and raised a comspiratorial eyebrow. "What happens in The Box, stays in The Box..."
Shi'enna smiled mischievously at Yolanthe. "Colonel," she called out, stopping Akamu in his tracks. Slowly, he turned, his eyes fixed upon the floor, his mouth drawn in a tight line.
Shi smiled at Yolathe again, feeling quite the rebel.
"Come here, Colonel," she commanded.
He approached as ordered and gave a short bow. "Forgive me, my Lady," he said. "But I'm not an officer any longer. If you must be formal, del'u Shan is the appropriate form of address."
The bokkai put a glass down in front of him and poured two generous fingers, of dutch courage, before retreating to another customer.
Akamu looked at the glass wordlessly, then back to Shi'enna. "Is there something in particular you needed, my Lady?" He said. He gave her a stupid little grin. "You still looking for passage to the Belt?"
Shi'enna smiled. "I thought I'd stay at DS5 for a while," she answered. "Maybe you and I could talk."
Akamu took the glass and drained it in one gulp. "You don't wanna ask me those questions, Shi'enna."
"Questions?"
"About home, about the war. Don't ask, 'cuz you won't like the answers." He gave her another wolfish grin then turned to leave.
"Da es bala a kanan," he said before marching off.
"A good start," Yolanthe observed. "He wasnt screaming and running. What did he say?"
"Hold onto the present," Shi'enna whispered quietly, watching his retreating back.
OFF
A JP between
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, the Box of Delights
Shi'enna Oramen (NPC)
Civilian
&
Akamu "Ka'er" Makani
Mecenary