Scales and Arpeggios-Aftermath

Posted on Mon Sep 4th, 2023 @ 7:12pm by Lieutenant Commander Jason Elliot

1,299 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: F'rar's Quarters, Habitation Deck
Timeline: Post Dinner Party, pt. 4

She lay on her side, facing Jason, head resting on his chest. That had been nice. "That was...good." Was it awkward to say thank you?! It seemed like it. But "good" seemed inadequate, too. Oh, well. She was overthinking it. She decided to stick to neutral things.

"So. Going to the office now, or?" She asked. She hoped he'd stay with her, but she understood if it was weird. She wasn't sure if she'd stay if it were her at his.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked. There. Get the brain working again. Her Cardassian eidetic memory was a good thing sometimes. At least if they had another opportunity, she knew what to do to see the Prophets again.

Jason paused deep in thought, only too snap into reality "My com badge hasn't gone off yet so I can stay, I could use a coffee." he paused looking at her dark hair, "I should eat something considering how much alcohol I had last night, how about you?"

She chuckled. "Oh, yeah, those things," she said. It'd be *just* time for some kind of emergency, knowing her luck. Thankfully, she was fairly sure that the Commander had told the rest of the staff to not bother their department heads unless it was life or death, or at least, that's what USUALLY happened.

"Yeah, I should at least have some more...something not alcohol. I can't very well turn up tomorrow to the boys hungover. They'd never let me live it down," she said. She moved over slightly, so he could get up first. She was still naked, but fumbled for a shirt before she let the blanket fall away. She was oddly self-conscious suddenly, though he'd seen her plenty of ways just a bit ago. She stood up, catching her balance quickly. "What sounds good?" She asked. "Sorry, I only have the replicator. I may be a department head, but I am only a Lieutenant still."

Jason smiled "I haven't used my replicator, I always end up in the mess hall or eating in the bullpen in the office," Jason paused to grab his underwear as he stood he saw the reaction to the collection of scars and tattoos "There's a few stories behind everything."

She nodded. "Indeed," she said. "We could go to the mess hall, if you'd like," she said. She'd rather not, she preferred to stay in and maybe a round two. Time would tell. "Are you often in battle?" She asked. She'd been spared most of it, though she'd seen a little combat. She wasn't out in the thick of it like others, though. Not because she wasn't capable-she just served on vessels where they weren't battle ships and the like. Opportunity hadn't knocked. "How about an Earth favorite, pepperoni pizza?" She offered. Maybe not the sexist choice but she needed simple carbohydrates and she needed something that was easy to digest. She couldn't face more Hesperat tonight. "Unless you have a different idea. I like most foods, so..." She trailed off, but did get herself a glass of water. After, she held one out for him.

"I could dig a pizza, ever had it Chicago style?" Jason said as he tried to key it into the replicator he felt her eyes on his back "The claw marks are from a Gorn raid, the burns are from an eps explosion from when Deep Space three got bombed and I was in a shuttle." Jason paused "The tattoo is a traditional Mohawk family band, but it's incomplete."

She shook her head. "No, I haven't." She watched him as he worked the machine. Made sense, really, where he got the skills in bed. "I see," she said, reaching out to feel the scars and wounds. "That's...a lot. I am sorry," she said. "So. What makes Chicago pizza so special?" She asked. "I went to the academy with a Human called Chicago. She was going through the Counseling program. She was in my bunk section."

Jason smiled at the replicator produced the small dish for the two, "Deep dish, so it's full of toppings, meats, cheeses, vegetables, and a sauce that seems to be unique too the pizza itself, but this is a really simple one, plus I chose a milder meat, there's little variations all over North America, but this is as close as it gets for now." Jason said as he set the pizza down on the small table, "I should have grabbed a plate for each of us." he said rushing back to the replicator.

She nodded. "Nice!! Sounds good." She said. It smelled good. "It's ok!" She laughed but smiled. "Thanks!!" She said, when he returned. "Do you usually eat it with your hands or use a fork? I always thought that was weird, but some people do."

Jason paused with a moment of thought "It's really subjective since certain dishes can be eaten with and without utensils. take this pizza for example, if we were in Chicago for example we'd have maybe a plate for your own serving, but if we were in some of the more traditional parts of Italy you'd have a full place setting, probably a proper glass of real wine that's appropriate for the dish, low light, quite possibly eating on a patio under the stars, if we were in a situation where it was rations then all civility goes out the window." he finished with a laugh.

She laughed, too. "Yeah, rations tend to bring out the worst in people. I had a week where that's all I had; we were stuck on a desert planet, chasing an SOS call that we never DID find, and our shuttle went kaboom when it hit the atmosphere. Man, even replicated food beats that!" She made a face-it was a rough week. Not nearly as bad as the Pirates thing, but still stood out because of the awkwardness and the rations.

She took the pizza carefully in her hand, and took a bite. She wasn't one of those people shy about food-she ate with abandon, but she *was* careful with dairy. "It's pretty good!" She said, enthusiastically. "So..what now?" She closed her eyes. She didn't about them, or the sexual activities, she meant it literally. Still. The double meaning was there. Crap.

Jason thought for a few seconds, "Can we be discrete about this for now?" pausing to say the next part careful "your someone whose really given me a sudden rush I haven't felt in a very long time, plus I don't want things like this," pointing to a jagged scar on his side just below his ribs, "From making people feel like our judgement is impaired."

She nodded, but let out a breath. "I actually meant the...physical activity part, but of course!! I am sorry it came out weird...Yes. Let's just see where it goes. No labels, no weird expectations." She bit her lip but nodded. She was the one who needed to convince HERSELF, apparently. "So uh...want to do it again, or??" She asked.

Jason's smile went slightly crooked, he took her hand "yes." was all he could muster as he stood, he was certainly broken, he'd escaped death more than once, he just wanted the moment.

She let out a sigh of relief. The normally unflappable Engineer was being uncharacteristically awkward. She took his hand, though, and set aside her pizza, leading him to the bed, where she slipped out of the shirt she'd slipped on. This time, it'd be less clumsy, and more exact. Especially because she knew his secret spots now.

Jason had been through a lot of the last three years, this was something new, and he didn't want it to stop...

Fade to black!!

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