Interlude – A Way to Say Thank You
by (G) erie'Riov - Sub Commander Rianni Monteros-t'Khellian & (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek
Post Details
Ma'erlit had managed to get some time off and had big plans for it; since the CAG's suicide attempt she'd spent as much time as she could with Maiell, the Romulan dish who had saved Rianni's life as possible, and the rest of her time thinking about him. Now, she stood in front of his door holding a freshly made hasperat and waiting for him to answer the chime. ~Hope he likes it.~
Maiell was in the process of pouring himself some juice when the chime came. Adjusting his tunic with the assumption that it was Arrienye coming to nag him about something, he walked over to the doors and opened them, already preparing his excuse. "I didn't think it was important to you," he said as the doors parted in front of him.
"It must have been." Ma'erlit laughed, "Otherwise I wouldn't have made hasperat."
Seeing that it wasn't the fiery Romulan he'd thought, Maiell grinned, not letting his embarrassment show. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Hi!" he greeted the Bajoran.
"Nothing to apologize for." Ma'erlit smiled, holding the hasperat out for him to see, "Can I come in and set this down? Might make it easier for us to eat it."
"Of course," he said apologetically, moving aside and letting the woman inside. The quarters themselves were pretty standard, a few images on the walls, but nothing more personal. Maiell had arranged to have his roommate leave for the evening. "Make yourself comfortable," he told her.
"Thanks." Ma'erlit smiled, walking in slowly and taking the whole decor of the place in as she set the hasperat on the table, ~Wow, this place could really use a woman's touch.~
"Can I get you something to drink? Some wine? Though, I should warn you, it's a little strong," Maiell said, already walking over to a cabinet to take out the bottle.
"That's not a problem for me, Bajoran wine is pretty strong itself." Ma'erlit answered, "And, sure, it'd go great with this."
Maiell nodded, taking two glasses and setting them on the table. He motioned for her to sit on the couch as he poured the dark purple liquid.
Ma'erlit sat for a second and watched him, deciding then to make small talk, "So, place is pretty spartan."
Maiell grinned, letting out a small laugh. Standing up straight, he looked around, "Yes, I suppose it is. I've never had an eye for aesthetics or art, as you can tell. What about you? You have any creative outlets?" He handed her a glass of wine before joining her on the couch.
"Thank you, and, yes, all manner of them." She answered, sipping the wine, "I paint, I decorate, even do some gardening when the opportunity presents itself."
"I used to garden back on ch'Rihan but since I've been here there's not much point considering I don't have a garden. And, I never really considered gardening as a creative outlet. I enjoyed the botanical aspects of it more," he admitted, leaning back in the couch.
"See, I looked at it as a labor of love." Ma'erlit replied, "Seeing at as strictly scientific just didn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of stuff to be learned from gardening and I'm not a science basher by any means, but for me flowers were always a tool from the Prophets for us to beautify our world with."
Maiell nodded, "I understand," he smiled. "They'd definitely beautify this room, but I suppose that they would be useless now, considering you are here," he told her honestly, his mind coming to a momentary halt. 'What the hell was *that*?' he felt his inner voice ask him and Maiell regretted having said it.
Ma'erlit giggled and blushed like a teenager at that comment, "Thank you." She replied, "Are you hungry? I made that hasperat myself, all natural ingredients. Thank the Prophets for our Bajoran Market here on the station, huh?"
"If you say so, I've never been," he said, very happy that the compliment had gone well and they were on another subject. "But I can definitely eat anything," he said, then stopped himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that only someone who could eat anything would eat something you cook, I'm just....hungry," he ended, looking away for a moment to pull himself together.
"It's okay." Ma'erlit snickered, "I understand man-speak. Point me to where the plates and utensils are kept and I'll dish it up."
"Man-speak?" he chuckled. "That sounds...primitive," he admitted. "They're over in the cupboard, second one from the left. And I'll get the utensils out of the drawer," Maiell said, getting up to help her.
"It is in a way, but it's also very honest for the most part." Ma'erlit said, "Men tend to speak their minds more than women do, so you know where a man's coming from for the most part." Taking the plates in her hand Ma'erlit walked to the table, "Have you ever had real hasperat before, Maiell?"
"I've never had any kind of hasperat." He answered, taking out some utensils. "As for men speaking their mind more, I'm afraid that is especially true for me. My cousin observed that my mouth tends to run a bit faster than my brain," he said, slightly embarrassed at the fact. It wasn't exactly a good trait.
"Sounds like your cousin is pretty judgemental." Ma'erlit offered, "Besides, there are times when you just have to go straight to the point. My father was like that."
"I suppose you have a point about that," he said, concerning her opinion. "And my cousin is not so much judgmental as she is brutal in her honesty," he admitted, but decided that he didn't want to go too far into his cousin's affairs. "Were you close to your father?" he asked instead.
"Extremely." Ma'erlit answered, "What about you and your father?"
"I'm close to both of my parents, though we do not communicate as often as we did while I was back home," Maiell explained.
"It's a really big universe when you're separated from the ones you love." Ma'erlit nodded, "But, with your cousin here I suppose it's a little easier for you both."
Maiell chuckled. "Well, a bit. Arrienye and I grew up together. She is like a sister to me, but we've always been complete opposites," he admitted. "Do you have siblings?" he asked.
"Two sisters." Ma'erlit smiled, "Arinla and Anmerti, Mom gave us all first names with the letter A: Arinla, Anmerti, and Amalia. Arinla is twenty and an artist, Anmerti is seventeen and enlisting in the Marines in the fall."
"Why the Marines?" he asked curiously. Among his own species, the Gai'Shian, an equivalent of the Marine Corps, was a bit bottom of the barrel. Not many *wanted* to be part of them, but a lot of people did, mostly drafted during conflicts, like Saren was in the Dominion War.
"She's hoping for a war with the Cardassians eventually." Ma'erlit answered honestly, her youngest sister's inborn hatred of the Cardassians did scare her sometimes, "She wants to be on the front lines when it happens."
Maiell raised his eyebrows. "She's hoping for war?" he said in disbelief.
Ma'erlit sighed and took a deep breath before replying, "Our family was very wealthy before the Cardassian Invasion, almost like nobility. We had land that was measured in kilometers and money and businesses, even our own ships. After the Cardassians took over Bajor they took everything from our family, forced my Grandparents out of their home, and took my Grandmother, who was used to living a fine lifestyle, and made her a slave. She never got over it, and even after the Cardassians were pushed out of our home the family never recovered it's status or property. My Grandmother, before she died, lived with us, and told us stories about what we'd lost, about how we should be living. Anmerti is looking for revenge I guess."
"Revenge doesn't solve anything," Maiell said. "I lost someone and believe me, risking your life to ruin someone else's in an act of revenge is pointless," he explained before taking a sip of wine.
"I've tried to explain that to her, but she doesn't listen." Ma'erlit shook her head sadly, "She only remembers how hard our lives were and hearing Grandmother talking about how much better we should have had it made it all hurt that much more for her, now she wants someone else to hurt the way she did."
"Well, maybe she'll come to her senses," Maiell said, but wanted to switch to another subject. "So, you like to cook?" he asked, sitting down and motioning to the chair opposite him.
"Love it." MA'erlit grinned as she sat, thankful for the change of topics, "And not just Bajoran foods, either. I've learned several different species styles of cooking as well as most of the Terran regional styles. In fact, the CAG, the woman you saved, has even taught me some Greek dishes."
He smiled. "How is she, by the way?" he asked.
"She was released from sickbay earlier today." Ma'erlit smiled, "Her father, admiral tr'Khellian, came and took her home. I think her sister will be staying with her when she's not on duty for the time being, when she's on duty I think her mom and I will probably split the duty. The Admiral says he wants to meet you, feels like he owes you."
Maiell chocked on his wine at her last, wiping his mouth with the napkin. "Why?" he asked, her brown eyes holding a 'deer in the headlights' look, as humans described it.
"Your efforts saved the CAG's life, Maiell." Ma'erlit laughed, almost as though he was joking with her, "Of course he wants to reward you."
"Oh, I..I couldn't," he said, stuttering a bit. "I was just doing my duty," he defended.
"I know, but you know there's more to it than that." Ma'erlit replied, shocked as she now knew he was serious, "You saved his daughter's life, that means a lot to a father."
"No, the doctor saved her life. I just called the doctor. Anyone could've done that," he pointed out, taking another drink of wine.
"You gave her first aid on the scene, without you she would've been dead before the doctor could've done anything." Ma'erlit replied, "Then you were going to physically carry her to sickbay, that's a lot more than just calling the doctor, Maiell."
"I know," Maiell admitted, with an almost sad tone to his voice.
"Okay, I don't get it." Ma'erlit sighed, "What's wrong with you? This is a good thing, right?"
"Most people believe so," Maiell nodded. "I'm not most people."
"Okay." Ma'erlit nodded, "But, it is what it is now. Anyway, let's eat, take our minds off of everything."
He nodded, glad she didn't push anymore. He cut off some of his food and put it into his mouth. Chewing slowly to taste the peculiar flavoring, he nodded. "This is really good," he said once he swallowed.
"I'm glad you like it." Ma'erlit smiled, "I'd be glad to make it for you any time you'd like."
He smiled handsomely at her. "Well, I'll be sure to call you anytime I like," he said.
"Good." Ma'erlit smiled sheepishly, ~So it seems he likes me too, awesome!~
"That okay?" he asked to make sure.
"That's more than okay." Ma'erlit giggled, "That's exactly what I was hoping for."
He grinned, "Really? Most people stay away. My people are not exactly...popular," Maiell chose the last word carefully, knowing there was still a lot of prejudice and judgment passed on his species even today. Some of it was based on some fact but some stories floating around were just nonsense.
"Well, I work for a Romulan, so I've got no such prejudices." Ma'erlit smiled, "I mean, I'm not crazy about any of the Cardassians I've met on the station as of late, but that's due to their personalities, not their species. Besides, when I saw how you were taking care of Rianni, the CAG, I saw you as the kind of guy who could be easy on the eyes without being hard on the heart. You know, one of the good guys."
Maiell smiled warmly at her. "Thank you," he told her sincerely. "So, what would you like to do after dinner? Refill?" he asked quickly, noticing her glass was empty.
"Please." She answered, handing him her glass, "And anything is fine. It's not what you do, it's who you do it with."
"Exactly," he agreed with a nod. "Well, we both enjoy nature. Perhaps we could take a walk in the Botanical garden? Get a drink, sit on a bench, talk..." he trailed off, filling her glass.
"That sounds very nice, Maiell." Ma'erlit smiled, sipping her wine again, "Maybe we can go to the Bajoran section afterwards, I'll introduce you to Bajoran pastry."
"I'd like that," he nodded. "I can't believe I've never tried them before. I've been here for nearly two years," Maiell said, wondering what he'd been doing for two years.
"Well, it's probably a good thing you waited for me then." Ma'erlit laughed, taking his hand as she did, "Some things are just best experienced with a knowledgeable guide."
Maiell looked down at their hands and lightly caressed the back of her hand. "I completely agree," he nodded.
Ma'erlit just smiled and enjoyed the moment, before adding, "So, you know I have a solo room? You know, just in case you wanted some time....private."
Maiell raised his eyebrows in surprise, taking his hand back as he visibly blushed a dark green. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Oh, my God! I am so sorry." Ma'erlit immediately regretted what she had said, "I should go now." She practically leaped out of her chair and started for the door, ~Damn it! Great, solid work! Now he thinks you're a slut and doesn't want to be around you!~
"Wait! Ma'erlit!" he said, getting out of his chair as well, following her. He managed to grab her hand to stop her. "I...I'm...That was very forward," he finally said the obvious. Arrienye had been right. His mouth was faster than his brain. "I mean," he paused to take a breath, "By your reaction, I can tell I'm not the only one whose mouth tends to have a mind of its own. Correct?" he offered.
"Something like that." Ma'erlit admitted, "But it's not like I throw myself at men or anything. You're the first man I've really paid any attention to in a very long time and any offer I made was not made for a cheap thrill."
"I understand," he assured her. "And you're the first woman I've been out with in two years and I feel...good, when I'm with you," he stumbled over his words somehow. "Let's say we forget this little slip up and go for that walk?"
"Okay." Ma'erlit nodded, "That works for me."
"Good," he said with a smile. "Let's go," he said, leading her outside and locking the doors behind himself.
Following behind, holding his hand like they'd been made to fit one another, Ma'erlit just smiled, as happy as she could ever remember being.
OFF
erie'Arrain Maiell tr'Tahn
Security officer
Romulan Consulate
and
Crewman Ma'erlit Amalia
Wing Clerk, DS5
by (G) erie'Riov - Sub Commander Rianni Monteros-t'Khellian & (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek
Post Details
| Title | A Way to Say Thank You | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | (G) erie'Riov - Sub Commander Rianni Monteros-t'Khellian & (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek | |
| Posted | Mon May 31, 2010 @ 4:44pm | |
| Location | Maiell's quarters | |
| Timeline | After Rianni's Release from Sickbay |
Maiell was in the process of pouring himself some juice when the chime came. Adjusting his tunic with the assumption that it was Arrienye coming to nag him about something, he walked over to the doors and opened them, already preparing his excuse. "I didn't think it was important to you," he said as the doors parted in front of him.
"It must have been." Ma'erlit laughed, "Otherwise I wouldn't have made hasperat."
Seeing that it wasn't the fiery Romulan he'd thought, Maiell grinned, not letting his embarrassment show. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Hi!" he greeted the Bajoran.
"Nothing to apologize for." Ma'erlit smiled, holding the hasperat out for him to see, "Can I come in and set this down? Might make it easier for us to eat it."
"Of course," he said apologetically, moving aside and letting the woman inside. The quarters themselves were pretty standard, a few images on the walls, but nothing more personal. Maiell had arranged to have his roommate leave for the evening. "Make yourself comfortable," he told her.
"Thanks." Ma'erlit smiled, walking in slowly and taking the whole decor of the place in as she set the hasperat on the table, ~Wow, this place could really use a woman's touch.~
"Can I get you something to drink? Some wine? Though, I should warn you, it's a little strong," Maiell said, already walking over to a cabinet to take out the bottle.
"That's not a problem for me, Bajoran wine is pretty strong itself." Ma'erlit answered, "And, sure, it'd go great with this."
Maiell nodded, taking two glasses and setting them on the table. He motioned for her to sit on the couch as he poured the dark purple liquid.
Ma'erlit sat for a second and watched him, deciding then to make small talk, "So, place is pretty spartan."
Maiell grinned, letting out a small laugh. Standing up straight, he looked around, "Yes, I suppose it is. I've never had an eye for aesthetics or art, as you can tell. What about you? You have any creative outlets?" He handed her a glass of wine before joining her on the couch.
"Thank you, and, yes, all manner of them." She answered, sipping the wine, "I paint, I decorate, even do some gardening when the opportunity presents itself."
"I used to garden back on ch'Rihan but since I've been here there's not much point considering I don't have a garden. And, I never really considered gardening as a creative outlet. I enjoyed the botanical aspects of it more," he admitted, leaning back in the couch.
"See, I looked at it as a labor of love." Ma'erlit replied, "Seeing at as strictly scientific just didn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of stuff to be learned from gardening and I'm not a science basher by any means, but for me flowers were always a tool from the Prophets for us to beautify our world with."
Maiell nodded, "I understand," he smiled. "They'd definitely beautify this room, but I suppose that they would be useless now, considering you are here," he told her honestly, his mind coming to a momentary halt. 'What the hell was *that*?' he felt his inner voice ask him and Maiell regretted having said it.
Ma'erlit giggled and blushed like a teenager at that comment, "Thank you." She replied, "Are you hungry? I made that hasperat myself, all natural ingredients. Thank the Prophets for our Bajoran Market here on the station, huh?"
"If you say so, I've never been," he said, very happy that the compliment had gone well and they were on another subject. "But I can definitely eat anything," he said, then stopped himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that only someone who could eat anything would eat something you cook, I'm just....hungry," he ended, looking away for a moment to pull himself together.
"It's okay." Ma'erlit snickered, "I understand man-speak. Point me to where the plates and utensils are kept and I'll dish it up."
"Man-speak?" he chuckled. "That sounds...primitive," he admitted. "They're over in the cupboard, second one from the left. And I'll get the utensils out of the drawer," Maiell said, getting up to help her.
"It is in a way, but it's also very honest for the most part." Ma'erlit said, "Men tend to speak their minds more than women do, so you know where a man's coming from for the most part." Taking the plates in her hand Ma'erlit walked to the table, "Have you ever had real hasperat before, Maiell?"
"I've never had any kind of hasperat." He answered, taking out some utensils. "As for men speaking their mind more, I'm afraid that is especially true for me. My cousin observed that my mouth tends to run a bit faster than my brain," he said, slightly embarrassed at the fact. It wasn't exactly a good trait.
"Sounds like your cousin is pretty judgemental." Ma'erlit offered, "Besides, there are times when you just have to go straight to the point. My father was like that."
"I suppose you have a point about that," he said, concerning her opinion. "And my cousin is not so much judgmental as she is brutal in her honesty," he admitted, but decided that he didn't want to go too far into his cousin's affairs. "Were you close to your father?" he asked instead.
"Extremely." Ma'erlit answered, "What about you and your father?"
"I'm close to both of my parents, though we do not communicate as often as we did while I was back home," Maiell explained.
"It's a really big universe when you're separated from the ones you love." Ma'erlit nodded, "But, with your cousin here I suppose it's a little easier for you both."
Maiell chuckled. "Well, a bit. Arrienye and I grew up together. She is like a sister to me, but we've always been complete opposites," he admitted. "Do you have siblings?" he asked.
"Two sisters." Ma'erlit smiled, "Arinla and Anmerti, Mom gave us all first names with the letter A: Arinla, Anmerti, and Amalia. Arinla is twenty and an artist, Anmerti is seventeen and enlisting in the Marines in the fall."
"Why the Marines?" he asked curiously. Among his own species, the Gai'Shian, an equivalent of the Marine Corps, was a bit bottom of the barrel. Not many *wanted* to be part of them, but a lot of people did, mostly drafted during conflicts, like Saren was in the Dominion War.
"She's hoping for a war with the Cardassians eventually." Ma'erlit answered honestly, her youngest sister's inborn hatred of the Cardassians did scare her sometimes, "She wants to be on the front lines when it happens."
Maiell raised his eyebrows. "She's hoping for war?" he said in disbelief.
Ma'erlit sighed and took a deep breath before replying, "Our family was very wealthy before the Cardassian Invasion, almost like nobility. We had land that was measured in kilometers and money and businesses, even our own ships. After the Cardassians took over Bajor they took everything from our family, forced my Grandparents out of their home, and took my Grandmother, who was used to living a fine lifestyle, and made her a slave. She never got over it, and even after the Cardassians were pushed out of our home the family never recovered it's status or property. My Grandmother, before she died, lived with us, and told us stories about what we'd lost, about how we should be living. Anmerti is looking for revenge I guess."
"Revenge doesn't solve anything," Maiell said. "I lost someone and believe me, risking your life to ruin someone else's in an act of revenge is pointless," he explained before taking a sip of wine.
"I've tried to explain that to her, but she doesn't listen." Ma'erlit shook her head sadly, "She only remembers how hard our lives were and hearing Grandmother talking about how much better we should have had it made it all hurt that much more for her, now she wants someone else to hurt the way she did."
"Well, maybe she'll come to her senses," Maiell said, but wanted to switch to another subject. "So, you like to cook?" he asked, sitting down and motioning to the chair opposite him.
"Love it." MA'erlit grinned as she sat, thankful for the change of topics, "And not just Bajoran foods, either. I've learned several different species styles of cooking as well as most of the Terran regional styles. In fact, the CAG, the woman you saved, has even taught me some Greek dishes."
He smiled. "How is she, by the way?" he asked.
"She was released from sickbay earlier today." Ma'erlit smiled, "Her father, admiral tr'Khellian, came and took her home. I think her sister will be staying with her when she's not on duty for the time being, when she's on duty I think her mom and I will probably split the duty. The Admiral says he wants to meet you, feels like he owes you."
Maiell chocked on his wine at her last, wiping his mouth with the napkin. "Why?" he asked, her brown eyes holding a 'deer in the headlights' look, as humans described it.
"Your efforts saved the CAG's life, Maiell." Ma'erlit laughed, almost as though he was joking with her, "Of course he wants to reward you."
"Oh, I..I couldn't," he said, stuttering a bit. "I was just doing my duty," he defended.
"I know, but you know there's more to it than that." Ma'erlit replied, shocked as she now knew he was serious, "You saved his daughter's life, that means a lot to a father."
"No, the doctor saved her life. I just called the doctor. Anyone could've done that," he pointed out, taking another drink of wine.
"You gave her first aid on the scene, without you she would've been dead before the doctor could've done anything." Ma'erlit replied, "Then you were going to physically carry her to sickbay, that's a lot more than just calling the doctor, Maiell."
"I know," Maiell admitted, with an almost sad tone to his voice.
"Okay, I don't get it." Ma'erlit sighed, "What's wrong with you? This is a good thing, right?"
"Most people believe so," Maiell nodded. "I'm not most people."
"Okay." Ma'erlit nodded, "But, it is what it is now. Anyway, let's eat, take our minds off of everything."
He nodded, glad she didn't push anymore. He cut off some of his food and put it into his mouth. Chewing slowly to taste the peculiar flavoring, he nodded. "This is really good," he said once he swallowed.
"I'm glad you like it." Ma'erlit smiled, "I'd be glad to make it for you any time you'd like."
He smiled handsomely at her. "Well, I'll be sure to call you anytime I like," he said.
"Good." Ma'erlit smiled sheepishly, ~So it seems he likes me too, awesome!~
"That okay?" he asked to make sure.
"That's more than okay." Ma'erlit giggled, "That's exactly what I was hoping for."
He grinned, "Really? Most people stay away. My people are not exactly...popular," Maiell chose the last word carefully, knowing there was still a lot of prejudice and judgment passed on his species even today. Some of it was based on some fact but some stories floating around were just nonsense.
"Well, I work for a Romulan, so I've got no such prejudices." Ma'erlit smiled, "I mean, I'm not crazy about any of the Cardassians I've met on the station as of late, but that's due to their personalities, not their species. Besides, when I saw how you were taking care of Rianni, the CAG, I saw you as the kind of guy who could be easy on the eyes without being hard on the heart. You know, one of the good guys."
Maiell smiled warmly at her. "Thank you," he told her sincerely. "So, what would you like to do after dinner? Refill?" he asked quickly, noticing her glass was empty.
"Please." She answered, handing him her glass, "And anything is fine. It's not what you do, it's who you do it with."
"Exactly," he agreed with a nod. "Well, we both enjoy nature. Perhaps we could take a walk in the Botanical garden? Get a drink, sit on a bench, talk..." he trailed off, filling her glass.
"That sounds very nice, Maiell." Ma'erlit smiled, sipping her wine again, "Maybe we can go to the Bajoran section afterwards, I'll introduce you to Bajoran pastry."
"I'd like that," he nodded. "I can't believe I've never tried them before. I've been here for nearly two years," Maiell said, wondering what he'd been doing for two years.
"Well, it's probably a good thing you waited for me then." Ma'erlit laughed, taking his hand as she did, "Some things are just best experienced with a knowledgeable guide."
Maiell looked down at their hands and lightly caressed the back of her hand. "I completely agree," he nodded.
Ma'erlit just smiled and enjoyed the moment, before adding, "So, you know I have a solo room? You know, just in case you wanted some time....private."
Maiell raised his eyebrows in surprise, taking his hand back as he visibly blushed a dark green. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Oh, my God! I am so sorry." Ma'erlit immediately regretted what she had said, "I should go now." She practically leaped out of her chair and started for the door, ~Damn it! Great, solid work! Now he thinks you're a slut and doesn't want to be around you!~
"Wait! Ma'erlit!" he said, getting out of his chair as well, following her. He managed to grab her hand to stop her. "I...I'm...That was very forward," he finally said the obvious. Arrienye had been right. His mouth was faster than his brain. "I mean," he paused to take a breath, "By your reaction, I can tell I'm not the only one whose mouth tends to have a mind of its own. Correct?" he offered.
"Something like that." Ma'erlit admitted, "But it's not like I throw myself at men or anything. You're the first man I've really paid any attention to in a very long time and any offer I made was not made for a cheap thrill."
"I understand," he assured her. "And you're the first woman I've been out with in two years and I feel...good, when I'm with you," he stumbled over his words somehow. "Let's say we forget this little slip up and go for that walk?"
"Okay." Ma'erlit nodded, "That works for me."
"Good," he said with a smile. "Let's go," he said, leading her outside and locking the doors behind himself.
Following behind, holding his hand like they'd been made to fit one another, Ma'erlit just smiled, as happy as she could ever remember being.
OFF
erie'Arrain Maiell tr'Tahn
Security officer
Romulan Consulate
and
Crewman Ma'erlit Amalia
Wing Clerk, DS5