Deception: The lesser part of Valour – Men! Who needs them? - Part 1
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Commander Chelsea Dunham
Post Details
As soon as Raedhoel had left her quarters Isha's mind turned to business.
As she slipped into the seat before her desk she asked herself, What does one send to a survivor of a failed assassination attempt? The wrong arrangement of flowers might imply foreknowledge and draw a great deal of unwanted attention.
Isha's terminal revealed that there was an overwhelming choice available but with a little deliberation she opted for a lively spray of white roses and green foliage to be delivered with a note of support in the name of the Empire, Tahir would receive a bouquet in colours that might not match, but at least would not clash with the décor that Isha recalled from the Captain's quarters.
With a stab of her finger Isha closed the connection, a little wary of trusting a florist she did not know with the job, but she had promised Raedheol that she would not go out alone until he returned; it had been the only way to get him to leave, and now that she had given her word she would not break it, but there were ways in which that promise could be bent.
“Computer, connect me with Doctor Chelsea Adams,” Isha requested.
=^= Adams here, go ahead. =^= Chelsea responded to the chirp of the comm connection.
“Chelsea, I wonder if you have any plans for this evening ... I am at ... a loose end you have finished your shift, yes?”
=^= ISHA! =^= Chelsea's pleasure was very apparent.
=^= You have no idea how timely your call is! Yes, I *have* finished my shift and since then I've had a bit of a problem with Ryan. I'm now at a bit of a loose end too and very much in need of a distraction! =^= she explained. =^= What did you have in mind? =^=
“Well first I thought that I could make up for my awful behaviour earlier today – come over to my quarters for a drink and then lets go and do something amusing. The only condition is that you must not wear that awful Federation uniform, I hate uniforms,” she added.
=^= Oh, you don't have to worry about earlier! We were both a bit emotional. I'd really like that though, I'll come right over and as for the uniform, I'll find something *much* nicer - I'm in the mood for one of those rebellious moments we discussed earlier! =^= Chelsea smiled, genuinely happy for the first time since she'd left Sickbay an hour earlier.
As she waited for Chelsea Isha slipped out of the tunic and leggings she had worn during the day, swapping them for a sleeveless floor length gown of silvery grey. She set the others aside for cleaning and grabbed her soft leather daytime bag emptying it onto the sofa. She had not been exaggerating when she told Raedheol she was more cautious these days; among the contents were a jewel hilted kaleh (dagger) and a small type one federation phaser that she had acquired some months earlier. The fact that it was not even legal for her to carry a beam weapon back home in the empire let alone on DS5 did not seem to have occurred to Isha, but she had long adopted an 'act now, question later' attitude to serious threat. These Isha gathered up and stuffed into the evening purse that lay waiting, along with a few other essentials. With a click Isha closed her bag and laid it aside turning her attention to other matters.
That morning, Isha had sent down for another bottle of nnyyrh-ar’rl from her belongings in storage; it now stood on the console table beneath the window – that would do very well for drinks; the last bottle, Isha had given as a gift to Tahir.
Cynics might say that it had bought me these quarters, she mused as she located a pair of flutes and placed them between a small blue flecked shell and the bottle. Her gaze fell on the little tin of kheia nearby.
“Now that would have been a bribe,” Isha remarked with a shake of her head, the delicate roe was a personal favourite of Isha's, and procured at considerable expense.
All that was left to do was to replicate some toast, a job that was done when the door chime sounded.
Chelsea was standing outside Isha's door bedecked in a stunning green and silver outfit that fitted where it touched and didn't waste excess material as it hugged her reassuringly. It was a piece of rebellion in itself, as was the way she had decorated her hair in an intricate mixture of tiny ringlet curls escaping, apparently at random, from a sweeping masterpiece of coiffured elegance that had been lifted softly backwards and upwards from the nape of her neck to the crown of her head, held by a lovely ornamental clip and comb combination, defying gravity and belief.
The eye-catching earring that this asymmetrical look accentuated seemed to complement the whole effect and by the time the observer had turned their attention to the rest of her, Chelsea had already made her point.
The usually dowdy, practical doctor with her serious and down-to-earth bedside manner was very much absent. Pointedly so.
"Thank you for asking me to come out." Chelsea opened, kissing her friend lightly on one cheek in greeting. "I needed to shake myself out of the self-pitying mood I was in danger of sinking into"
Isha handed her friend a glass of the lightly fizzing pale green liquid, “We call this nnyyrh-ar’rl - laughing tongue - this particular one is from my family estates at Ramnau,” she explained as she laid the twisted coppery stopper aside, “there is not a more perfect place for growing the fruit than the hills above Ramnau.”
"Predictability and it's downfall!" Chelsea raised her glass in a toast and grinned at Isha.
”And to looking fabulous,” Isha added. “Do sit down, I’ll just get the kheia, er, caviar, you do like it, don’t you?” Isha did not wait for a reply but returned in a moment with the little tin and placed it beside the toast, Isha perched on the edge of a chair, “Dare I ask you about the self pity?
"Oh, it's a long story, but to cut it short: I discovered this evening that Ryan has a hobby that I didn't know about, which involves him dancing with a partner. He has a wonderful talent and he dances in an exquisite and fabulously choreographed set with a truly beautiful, elegant, agile young woman who is positively lovely in nature as well as looks and talent.
Predictably, I found it threatening that he hadn't told me about this before and when I stumbled on them rehearsing, I made a predictable fool of my clumsy self and was transparent in my attempts to mask my predictable envy of their physical closeness and oneness." She confessed, tipping the drink down with less than the appropriate respect it deserved, treating herself to another predictable consequence, i.e. that of choking on the fiery liquid.
“That is quite a natural reaction, and one that I can wholeheartedly empathise with, I’m a terribly possessive person. Don’t you think it odd that Doctor Milarno did not inform you about his ‘hobby’?”
"I did think that but he seemed to feel my attitude showed a lack of trust in him" Chelsea explained. "You see Isha, I *do* really trust him! It wasn't that... I just was shocked he hadn't said anything about his talent for dancing and as I said, I *did* feel envious of Laura's ability to share that too, when I'm such a clutz. It was hard to suddenly face all that with no warning. I'd had no time to prepare myself."
“Well, I was going to suggest that we go dancing, but given what you have just told me that may not be the most fitting entertainment, no dinner though, I’ve eaten so much in the past few days that I’m positively fat. Do you gamble?” Isha asked.
Chelsea was feeling unexpectedly warm inside and out but with all that had happened lately she wasn't thinking about the stimulant she'd taken earlier or how it might react with the strength of the liquid she'd just drunk.
"That's something I have never done, but today I'm in the mood to try all sorts of things I've never ventured to do before!" she declared with a confidence that was not at all characteristic of her.
"And if we want to go dancing, then I'm not going to let other people stop us! Let's have fun!" she declared a little more loudly than she was expecting to.
Realising she might need to eat again soon, Chelsea put some of the roe onto the toast she had been offered and ate it tentatively, trying the salty and somewhat 'acquired' taste of the tiny black eggs.
”There’s a little known and rather high end casino in Ra’tleihfi’s senate district, Eviess t’Lhaihtrha and I haunted the place for months until one night when Eveiss lost an obscene amount of her father’s latinum, we got into such trouble for that! You’d like Eveiss, though she’s become rather matronly these days. I’m not sure she approves of me anymore either,” Isha added with a sly grin.
"Her loss!" Chelsea muttered defiantly. "So... how do we avoid the fate of Eviess by NOT losing a lifetime's savings but still have fun?"
“Here are the rules, set yourself a limit, say ten bars and simply walk away when you reach it. However, anything you win, no matter how much, you can drop it all back on the table should you wish. When we get bored with that let’s find the most disreputable looking characters in the bar and strike up a conversation. To rebellion,” Isha said raising her glass.
Chelsea grinned. "Seconded! .... or did I propose that? Well, it doesn't matter. It's unanimous whichever way you look at it! Anyway, who needs men around to have fun? I bet Ryan will be sorry he stayed in and sulked!"
”Not me!” Isha said. “Mind you, try putting up with an overbearing control freak for a while and you’ll find sulking a refreshing change. Actually, I’m more and more convinced that some people are genetically incapable of enjoying themselves. That’s rather sad really, don’t you think – especially ass we seem to be lumbered with them! More?” Isha asked reaching for the bottle.
Chelsea nodded in agreement and held out her glass. "Oh I agree totally!"
Isha thought for a moment and raised her glass, “To getting sloshed and behaving disgracefully!”
"Hell yeah!" Chelsea was already subscribed.
As the two friends made their way to the promenade decks a little while later, they laughed and joked happily, leaving their cares and their men-troubles behind. Or so they thought!
OFF:
Isha & Chelsea ... behaving badly
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Commander Chelsea Dunham
Post Details
| Title | Men! Who needs them? - Part 1 | |
| Mission | Deception: The lesser part of Valour | |
| Author(s) | Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Commander Chelsea Dunham | |
| Posted | Thu Dec 04, 2008 @ 5:49pm | |
| Location | Isha's Quarters | |
| Timeline | Day 3 - From 20.00hrs |
As she slipped into the seat before her desk she asked herself, What does one send to a survivor of a failed assassination attempt? The wrong arrangement of flowers might imply foreknowledge and draw a great deal of unwanted attention.
Isha's terminal revealed that there was an overwhelming choice available but with a little deliberation she opted for a lively spray of white roses and green foliage to be delivered with a note of support in the name of the Empire, Tahir would receive a bouquet in colours that might not match, but at least would not clash with the décor that Isha recalled from the Captain's quarters.
With a stab of her finger Isha closed the connection, a little wary of trusting a florist she did not know with the job, but she had promised Raedheol that she would not go out alone until he returned; it had been the only way to get him to leave, and now that she had given her word she would not break it, but there were ways in which that promise could be bent.
“Computer, connect me with Doctor Chelsea Adams,” Isha requested.
=^= Adams here, go ahead. =^= Chelsea responded to the chirp of the comm connection.
“Chelsea, I wonder if you have any plans for this evening ... I am at ... a loose end you have finished your shift, yes?”
=^= ISHA! =^= Chelsea's pleasure was very apparent.
=^= You have no idea how timely your call is! Yes, I *have* finished my shift and since then I've had a bit of a problem with Ryan. I'm now at a bit of a loose end too and very much in need of a distraction! =^= she explained. =^= What did you have in mind? =^=
“Well first I thought that I could make up for my awful behaviour earlier today – come over to my quarters for a drink and then lets go and do something amusing. The only condition is that you must not wear that awful Federation uniform, I hate uniforms,” she added.
=^= Oh, you don't have to worry about earlier! We were both a bit emotional. I'd really like that though, I'll come right over and as for the uniform, I'll find something *much* nicer - I'm in the mood for one of those rebellious moments we discussed earlier! =^= Chelsea smiled, genuinely happy for the first time since she'd left Sickbay an hour earlier.
As she waited for Chelsea Isha slipped out of the tunic and leggings she had worn during the day, swapping them for a sleeveless floor length gown of silvery grey. She set the others aside for cleaning and grabbed her soft leather daytime bag emptying it onto the sofa. She had not been exaggerating when she told Raedheol she was more cautious these days; among the contents were a jewel hilted kaleh (dagger) and a small type one federation phaser that she had acquired some months earlier. The fact that it was not even legal for her to carry a beam weapon back home in the empire let alone on DS5 did not seem to have occurred to Isha, but she had long adopted an 'act now, question later' attitude to serious threat. These Isha gathered up and stuffed into the evening purse that lay waiting, along with a few other essentials. With a click Isha closed her bag and laid it aside turning her attention to other matters.
That morning, Isha had sent down for another bottle of nnyyrh-ar’rl from her belongings in storage; it now stood on the console table beneath the window – that would do very well for drinks; the last bottle, Isha had given as a gift to Tahir.
Cynics might say that it had bought me these quarters, she mused as she located a pair of flutes and placed them between a small blue flecked shell and the bottle. Her gaze fell on the little tin of kheia nearby.
“Now that would have been a bribe,” Isha remarked with a shake of her head, the delicate roe was a personal favourite of Isha's, and procured at considerable expense.
All that was left to do was to replicate some toast, a job that was done when the door chime sounded.
Chelsea was standing outside Isha's door bedecked in a stunning green and silver outfit that fitted where it touched and didn't waste excess material as it hugged her reassuringly. It was a piece of rebellion in itself, as was the way she had decorated her hair in an intricate mixture of tiny ringlet curls escaping, apparently at random, from a sweeping masterpiece of coiffured elegance that had been lifted softly backwards and upwards from the nape of her neck to the crown of her head, held by a lovely ornamental clip and comb combination, defying gravity and belief.
The eye-catching earring that this asymmetrical look accentuated seemed to complement the whole effect and by the time the observer had turned their attention to the rest of her, Chelsea had already made her point.
The usually dowdy, practical doctor with her serious and down-to-earth bedside manner was very much absent. Pointedly so.
"Thank you for asking me to come out." Chelsea opened, kissing her friend lightly on one cheek in greeting. "I needed to shake myself out of the self-pitying mood I was in danger of sinking into"
Isha handed her friend a glass of the lightly fizzing pale green liquid, “We call this nnyyrh-ar’rl - laughing tongue - this particular one is from my family estates at Ramnau,” she explained as she laid the twisted coppery stopper aside, “there is not a more perfect place for growing the fruit than the hills above Ramnau.”
"Predictability and it's downfall!" Chelsea raised her glass in a toast and grinned at Isha.
”And to looking fabulous,” Isha added. “Do sit down, I’ll just get the kheia, er, caviar, you do like it, don’t you?” Isha did not wait for a reply but returned in a moment with the little tin and placed it beside the toast, Isha perched on the edge of a chair, “Dare I ask you about the self pity?
"Oh, it's a long story, but to cut it short: I discovered this evening that Ryan has a hobby that I didn't know about, which involves him dancing with a partner. He has a wonderful talent and he dances in an exquisite and fabulously choreographed set with a truly beautiful, elegant, agile young woman who is positively lovely in nature as well as looks and talent.
Predictably, I found it threatening that he hadn't told me about this before and when I stumbled on them rehearsing, I made a predictable fool of my clumsy self and was transparent in my attempts to mask my predictable envy of their physical closeness and oneness." She confessed, tipping the drink down with less than the appropriate respect it deserved, treating herself to another predictable consequence, i.e. that of choking on the fiery liquid.
“That is quite a natural reaction, and one that I can wholeheartedly empathise with, I’m a terribly possessive person. Don’t you think it odd that Doctor Milarno did not inform you about his ‘hobby’?”
"I did think that but he seemed to feel my attitude showed a lack of trust in him" Chelsea explained. "You see Isha, I *do* really trust him! It wasn't that... I just was shocked he hadn't said anything about his talent for dancing and as I said, I *did* feel envious of Laura's ability to share that too, when I'm such a clutz. It was hard to suddenly face all that with no warning. I'd had no time to prepare myself."
“Well, I was going to suggest that we go dancing, but given what you have just told me that may not be the most fitting entertainment, no dinner though, I’ve eaten so much in the past few days that I’m positively fat. Do you gamble?” Isha asked.
Chelsea was feeling unexpectedly warm inside and out but with all that had happened lately she wasn't thinking about the stimulant she'd taken earlier or how it might react with the strength of the liquid she'd just drunk.
"That's something I have never done, but today I'm in the mood to try all sorts of things I've never ventured to do before!" she declared with a confidence that was not at all characteristic of her.
"And if we want to go dancing, then I'm not going to let other people stop us! Let's have fun!" she declared a little more loudly than she was expecting to.
Realising she might need to eat again soon, Chelsea put some of the roe onto the toast she had been offered and ate it tentatively, trying the salty and somewhat 'acquired' taste of the tiny black eggs.
”There’s a little known and rather high end casino in Ra’tleihfi’s senate district, Eviess t’Lhaihtrha and I haunted the place for months until one night when Eveiss lost an obscene amount of her father’s latinum, we got into such trouble for that! You’d like Eveiss, though she’s become rather matronly these days. I’m not sure she approves of me anymore either,” Isha added with a sly grin.
"Her loss!" Chelsea muttered defiantly. "So... how do we avoid the fate of Eviess by NOT losing a lifetime's savings but still have fun?"
“Here are the rules, set yourself a limit, say ten bars and simply walk away when you reach it. However, anything you win, no matter how much, you can drop it all back on the table should you wish. When we get bored with that let’s find the most disreputable looking characters in the bar and strike up a conversation. To rebellion,” Isha said raising her glass.
Chelsea grinned. "Seconded! .... or did I propose that? Well, it doesn't matter. It's unanimous whichever way you look at it! Anyway, who needs men around to have fun? I bet Ryan will be sorry he stayed in and sulked!"
”Not me!” Isha said. “Mind you, try putting up with an overbearing control freak for a while and you’ll find sulking a refreshing change. Actually, I’m more and more convinced that some people are genetically incapable of enjoying themselves. That’s rather sad really, don’t you think – especially ass we seem to be lumbered with them! More?” Isha asked reaching for the bottle.
Chelsea nodded in agreement and held out her glass. "Oh I agree totally!"
Isha thought for a moment and raised her glass, “To getting sloshed and behaving disgracefully!”
"Hell yeah!" Chelsea was already subscribed.
As the two friends made their way to the promenade decks a little while later, they laughed and joked happily, leaving their cares and their men-troubles behind. Or so they thought!
OFF:
Isha & Chelsea ... behaving badly