Getting to know you

Posted on 06 Nov 2013 @ 3:32pm by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

4,175 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 05 - 1800 hrs

[ON]

"Computer, locate Lieutenant Warraquim," Lamar said to the LCARS console in front of him. He casually glanced around the corridors of Deck 2 while he waited only a matter of seconds for a reply.

"Lieutenant Warraquim is in the observation lounge." replied the computer's familiar soft and soothing female voice, followed by an audible chirp which signaled the end of the processed request.

Turning on his feet and moving down the corridor towards the windowed room, he briefly wondered what he was doing and why he was seeking her out. He knew the answer, of course. He liked her...very much. Whether or not it was from the bite she had given him the previous day, he had no idea, but he did know that she had been very nice and affectionate, and had also been a comforting sounding board for his recent troubles. His mind had been drifting back and forth between Lilou and Allyndra throughout the entire day, and with one of them probably assimilated on the Borg cube and unlikely to return, he needed the comfort of the other.

The doors to the observation lounge parted with swish as he stepped inside, and he took a couple slow steps before stopping and looking around. Lamar spotted Allyndra rather easily, as she was the only one present in the room besides himself. "Hey," he said quietly as he approached her.

It was one of those pleasant times. Time that she could forget that there were many hurt people, time to forget that looking out at the stars they were nothing but beautiful and that Borg were hovering nearby with everyone's fate in the balance.

The tea she sipped on was nice and cold and very sweet. The sugar made her feel revived though it would not last as long as she would like. Her back was itching already and that meant the wings were forming again and her body kept craving something more than sugar. That normally was not a problem but with the number of injured she had to carefully parse the stocks in sickbay.

She took another sip, her mind elsewhere when a voice that was at once both a stranger and yet known picked at her ears. She turned and looked up.
Allyndra recognized the tall male human. She smiled. "Hello, Lamar correct? How is the...wound doing?" Allyndra asked setting the glass down.

He casually shrugged and stepped next to her, giving her a small smile. "I've had worse." He showed her his wrist which now only revealed a couple of dark splotches on his brown skin. "What about you? Feeling better and less tired?"

"I wish. My wings are re-growing and still on the go." Allyndra made her own shrug, "It is what it is and while hungry I will not starve. Care to join me?"

"Sure." He stepped next to her and put his hand on the small of her back, giving it a light stroke. "You've been on my mind a little recently." he confessed, looking at her blueish-black hair and attractive features. "Hard to believe we haven't met before on such a small ship."

Allyndra tensed slightly at the move. Culturally a male never made such a move but she reminded herself that this was not home and that such things had to be forgiven. She indicated the seat across from her.

"Please take a seat. Anyway, I transferred in from the Venture just before it went to explore. Thus, only on board relatively a short time." She dropped her voice to sotto vocce and continued, "Besides, I generally avoid mess and dinners as you might imagine."

He rolled out a chair from the large briefing room desk and plopped himself down in it, leaning back with a light and silent sigh. He folded his hands together in his lap and his eyes stared out into the colorful blue nebula outside of the windows. "You eat by yourself?" he asked, "What do you do for social things?"

"Yes, mostly. Oh like now I sometimes partake of something to drink. Socialize? Not much I suppose. Oh do not get me wrong I have my things I like to do but I do not seek out to share them. Makes me sound dull does it not?"

"A little." he confessed with a wry grin, slowly spinning from side to side in his chair while continuing to glance out into the nebula. "I haven't been doing much with my free time either, if it makes you feel any better. This whole Borg thing kind of ruins the mood on the ship..if you know what I mean."

"Yes. If I may ask what do you find interesting to pass the time when things are not so unsettled." Allyndra noted that he seemed nervous. It was that other side of her that she had spent time as a Counselor. She hoped it was not because he was afraid of her and what had happened. She thought that he had understood things when they hard parted.

He thought about the question for a short moment and eventually shrugged his shoulders again. "I workout in the gym...work on shuttlecraft maintenance...hang out in the mess hall. Sometimes the holodeck when Lilou was here." he answered as his thoughts drifted to his abducted girlfriend. He had tried his best to not think about her predicament over the past hours, but it had been nearly impossible to not be concerned about her.

"Fleet life is a little different from when I was in the Corps. I guess I'm still adjusting." he added, looking into her sapphire eyes with a tiny smile.

"I could imagine from some of the other marines I have met." Allyndra was wondering if she could pull Lamar from some of the thoughts of Lilou. The holodecks were out right now since the ship needed power elsewhere. She would love to show him Akkadia. Hanging in a mess hall was not her forte either. An idea struck her.

"Care for a picnic? The holodecks are out with the power shortage and I would love to show you my home, but how about one in the Arboretum?"

"A picnic?" Lamar hadn't had a picnic since he was a kid back on Earth, but the idea seamed appealing. Besides, there wasn't much else to do and the arboretum was a nice enough place. It was also rather private, a place where the two of them could spend some time together without interruption. "Yeah...sure," he smiled. "I want to see your world too, sometime." he answered.

"Very good, do you have time in say about thirty minutes? I will get some things together and meet you there. Oh, and trust me I learned a little about what humans like for a picnic lunch," Allyndra said with a smile.

He nodded in agreement. "A half hour sounds good. I'm starving, to be honest. You must have read my mind." he grinned, then placed his hands on his knees and rose to his feet. He had just enough time for a quick sonic shower and a change of clothes, then he would be ready.

"Good, then half an hour and by the pond then." She nodded and got up. It was forward for her but she put a hand on Lamar's shoulder. "Do not be late."


Arboretum half an hour later

This seemed like a nice spot, Allyndra thought, with a set of towering trees to shade and a slight rise that gave a nice view of the pond that it seemed not so very long ago she water danced on. She sighed, maybe another week or so she might presuming they were all here.

The basket had various items in it but she had learned that most humans for a setting like this liked something called fried chicken. That was off her menu, but the apples and watermelon were fine. Allyndra thought she might handle a bite or so of biscuit. There was a few replicated fruits from her home world that Lamar might like to try. Allyndra just finished putting the cloth down on the ground and set the basket down as well when she heard some of the foliage rustle.

She looked up as Lamar appeared. "Just in time to help me finish."

Making his way through the arboretum to the place by the pond she had specified earlier, he smiled when he saw her as well as all the assembled food. His stomach rumbled when he got a whiff of the chicken and biscuits. "Wow...you don't disappoint. I haven't had a good meal in a while." he said as he stepped closer. Freshly showered and now dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a gray polo shirt on, he moved closer to help her set up. "Always a perfect day for a picnic in the arboretum." he added, flicking his eyes upwards towards the always-pleasant and sunny holographic lighting of the room.

Allyndra smiled and took a seat on the blanket, and then patted it. "I learned from a friend anyway help yourself. The chicken and the biscuits are all yours. There is iced tea in this thermos," Allyndra pulled out a blue one, "and in this one is Necture. That is a combination of Bloodflower juice and few other juices." Allyndra winked, "No, don't let the name bother you, it has no real blood in it, just a colour. I will warn you that to most it tastes very sweet. There are also apples and watermelon slices as well. I really like the later. Shall we?"

Not one to argue or turn down delicious food, Lamar nodded then sat down close next to Allyndra and crossed his legs. He procured a disposable plate from her basket and began to help himself to the food, piling up a large helping of the various items. He grinned at the mention of Bloodflower juice. "Every time you say blood now, I get suspicious." he returned her grin and playfully nudged her arm, then began to eat a crispy chicken leg with alternating bites of a biscuit. "What's your favorite Human food?" he curiously asked in between chewing.

Allyndra laughed at the mention of the word. "I guess when things settle I should not ask you to share a cup of bloodwine. One of my favourites however you asked human food. This," she took a slice of the watermelon and then took a small chunk out. "It is soft, sweet and juicy. Physiologically good at respiration for flight but consequently a much reduced alimentary tract for weight savings. I envy others the much wider range of food they can ingest. So now I told you mine what is yours? Oh and did I get the chicken good enough? I have a good recipe but not being able to try it makes me wonder."

He looked down at the chicken leg he had already half-devoured then glanced back up at her. "It's pretty damn good, to be honest. You did a good job." he gave her a sideways grin then took another bite of the crunchy breading and juicy meat, then chewed while he pondered his favorite food. "Pizza," he eventually decided, "with pepperoni, green peppers, and bacon." he added. "I know, I know...not the healthiest thing out there but it tastes so good. Have you ever tried it?"

Allyndra shook her head in the negative. "No, though it does smell interesting. Well, we, that is Akkadians, have somewhat the philosophy of some of the ancient Greeks of your world: 'All things in moderation'. We say: 'Life is full enough of pain and sorrow, balance it then with enjoyment and pleasure'."

"Exactly!" Lamar grinned. "Pizza is enjoyment and pleasure at its best...any toppings you like with a variety of bread crust...Chicago, New York, homemade style...different kinds of cheeses..." he began to rant about the glories of the pie.

"I will make a note to make pizza next time, that is if there is a next time for I would not want to come between you and another," Allyndra alluded to Lamar's mention of a girlfriend. He was definitely handsome for an alien and certainly would be popular in an Irsemia house. She blushed as the thought of making love in such a place crossed her mind and she quickly pushed the thought away.

He sighed and looked down at his chicken, the mention of Lilou breaking the festive mood they were just in. "I like you, Allynra." he confessed with a weak smile. "Probably more than I should...Lilou is my girlfriend and right now she's on the cube and they're doing God-knows-what to her..." he shook his head to try and not think about her predicament. "If she returns, I want to be with her. If not...I want to be with you." he laid out the situation as plainly and as best he could considering the uncertainty of events as well as his personal desires for both Lilou and the Akkadian. "I know that sounds awkward, right?"

"I am actually honoured," Allyndra said quietly. "I have been a Counselor before and understand what it is you are feeling. You are lonely and yet you do not want to betray either. Let us remain optimistic that we will get our people back and then you can move from that spot. Until then, let us enjoy each other's company and we will fly that ocean when the time comes."

He smiled at her understanding of the complicated state of his relationship and felt himself liking Allyndra more and more as he got to know her. She had a solid head on her wings, and she seemed to deal with Humans well. He couldn't say that for every species he had encountered. "Thanks," he replied, "I'd like that. It's fun to spend time with you."

He finished eating his piece of chicken then poured himself a cup of the Bloodfruit juice and sipped it to test it out on his palate. It was indeed very sweet but he liked such kinds of drinks. "This is pretty good..." he mumbled, then took a longer drink. "So tell me about yourself...relationship-wise, I mean. Have you dated since your husband passed?" He hoped he wasn't being too forward in asking her a rather personal question.

"I did have a fling briefly but it was no more than a sudden thing, something that one would do at an Irsemia house. It took a long time for me to move past my culture. The Guilds of my world arrange for meetings and marriages and such, so a long answer is it not to say no!" She laughed at her long winded explanation to a simple question. It was her nature, she loved to learn and teach both.

"My turn then, have you been married before?"

"Married? No..." he answered. "Engaged once, but never actually hitched. I was moving around between deployments so often when I was in the Corps that it was hard to find a steady girlfriend, let alone one who could put up with my absences every time a new set of orders came in." he tried to explain, then shrugged. "I'm looking forward to being able to settle down a bit in the Fleet, now. Hopefully it'll be a good change of pace."

Allyndra tilted her head and there was amusement on her face, "All one does is exchange one set of challenges with another. However, I can quite understand having gone the opposite way what the need is." The question brought up another thing and there was a little sore spot in her chest but she found she had to ask. "Family, do you look for family, children that is?"

He took another piece of chicken from the bucket and started to dig in on more food. "Kids would be nice," he said with a half-full mouth. "I'm not getting any younger, you know." he lightly laughed, then took another drink of the sweet Bloodflower juice. "Would be nice to have a little Lamar Jr. to carry on the family name."

Allyndra laughed, "I understand. I had hopes myself at one time but none survived and now I do not think that it will ever come to pass. It is a sadness of the heart, but I try to remember the lesson of the Twins. Do you remember the story I told you that night that I bit you?"

"I think so...the two gods who weren't allowed to be together and were forced to watch each other instead? And then they became even more in love?" He couldn't exactly remember the details of the story and hoped he hadn't misinterpreted it too badly.

Allyndra knew he had not quite gotten it right but it was close enough. "Two lovers yes and though the gods separated them, they proved that they could overcome the obstacle. A lesson to realize that no matter how dire it may seem that perseverance will overcome. Perhaps in time, hope is still there."

She nodded and then looked directly at Lamar, "You know I really enjoy our conversations we have had."

He put his food down on the plate and wiped his hands clean on a napkin while giving her a sincere smile. "Me too. You're fun to talk to and I don't have many non-Human friends." he admitted, then gave her leg a light squeeze. "Tell me more about your wings. Were you born with them? Can you fly with them?" He was curious to know the details of how they worked after watching their burial ceremony.

It always seemed everyone found it astonishing that she could actually fly, well at times she reminded herself. "First off, no we are not born with them, we develop them when we mature into adulthood and only the females develop them. There are a few cases of males having them but it is rare."

Allyndra shifted so her back was to him and then undid her top and let it slip off her shoulders so he could see her back. "You should see four scars, two on either side and arranged one about the other." In fact, she knew from the way her back felt that it was likely that one could see a swelling underneath as the new ones developed.

"And yes we can fly. The wings are not unlike your Earth's insects and work in a similar mechanism as that of your dragonfly."

Lamar looked over her bare back and smooth skin with much admiration, barely paying attention to the bumps which he could see beneath the scars she showed him. She was beautiful, to say the least, and it was almost painfully teasing to see her exposed back and not touch it. Unable to resist, he reached out and lightly ran his fingers over her skin. "Wow...I had no idea..." he mumbled quietly.

Allyndra had not expected him to touch and she tensed for a moment as she felt his fingers. It was a moment though and then the sensation of the touch she had not felt for so long overcame her cultural sense. She wanted to invite him to explore more but then he had a girlfriend and it would be impolite.

"I am sorry," she said and started to slip her top back into place. "I let the scientist and doctor in me overwhelm my sense of propriety, that you had someone. Please forgive me."

He shook his head, frustrated with himself that he had suddenly made things a bit awkward. "No, it's my fault. Sorry about that...I shouldn't have. You're just...very beautiful." She was his kryptonite, so to speak.

"So, um," he cleared his throat to try and return back to the topic at hand and alleviate some of the strange sexual tension now present. "Do you fly often? On the ship, I mean. Seems like our corridors are kind of cramped for a wingspan like that."

Allyndra felt bad as well and got her top back on. If the situation was different, if he was not involved she would not have worried so much. How long had it been since anyone had touched her like that? She could not hardly remember and it was hard to make intimate friends. Still, she thought, she had invited and not thought things through.

"When there is time, the holodecks suffice on a ship. This place here works good enough, I water danced on the pond over there." She waved a hand and knew he would not have a clue. "It is an art form, one uses one wings to keep oneself in the air and literally dance on the water. Here it is not much challenge but on a world on the ocean one must balance the vagaries of wind and wave. Perhaps when my wings have grown in you might like to watch."

Now eating a piece of watermelon, Lamar nodded enthusiastically as he chewed. "That'd be a sigh. I'd like that." he agreed, giving her another smile while trying to mentally visualize the process of water dancing.

"Now tell me what you like to do for fun?" Allyndra asked.

"Me? Well," he paused to think for a second, realizing he hadn't done much recreation lately due to Galileo's circumstances. "Honestly, I've been pretty busy the past couple weeks and haven't had much time for rec. I've been working on my flight control training a lot, and I've been pulling a lot of double shifts trying to keep up with maintenance on our support craft," he answered.

"But when things are slow, I like to hit the holodeck and do some combat simulations, maybe some orbital skydiving. I also like to play baseball and basketball. And I like card games like spades," he began to ramble off his favorite activities.

Allyndra could sympathize with the being busy. She had only had a few minutes first coming aboard to water dance and that had been it. "Ah, so you like flying of a sorts as well," Allyndra said with enthusiasm. "Have you ever done 'hang gliding'? I had someone else show me that and we spent many hours and I taught him the ways of the air. In turn he taught me something he called 'surfing', a board and riding the waves of the ocean. Now as to games with cards, that is one I learned as well." She mused a moment and then asked, "Perhaps I can intrigue you for dinner with.........'pizza', correct? And perhaps a game of spades?"

He shook his head at the mention of hang gliding. "No, never did hang gliding but I was part of the 82nd Orbital Drop Battalion when I was in the Corps. Atmospheric jumps were our specialty so I guess I'm kind of partial to that kind of thing," he explained. "As for surfing...never got into it. I'm not a big fan of oceans. Something about not being able to see what's below me freaks me out a bit," he added with a sheepish chuckle, then took another bite of watermelon.

"But pizza and spades? I'll never say no to that," he winked.

Allyndra laughed lightly, "Then Akkadia is not for you. Almost all water and ocean but as you say it can be dangerous. Well then, since I have your interest in pizza and spades. Shall we make it a date then?"

"Sure," he happily answered while he held her eyes for a long moment, "If you sure you're not too busy in sickbay, of course. I bet you've had your hands full these past few days with all of the survivors we brought on board."

Allydnra made a wry face and nodded. "Yes, we have all been busy but sometimes we need to take time for ourselves. We need to remind ourselves we are not machines but thinking and feeling individuals. I will leave the invitation open when we can coordinate our times then?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," he gave her a private smile which betrayed his intentions, then finished off his piece of watermelon and looked back into the bucket of chicken to procure another piece. "I'll send a message to your PADD as soon as I check my schedule."

"You have a date then, now....." Allyndra rummaged in the basket, "you really should try Necture."

They talked and shared and compared some of the exotic foods that Allyndra had brought and it seemed only minutes but then the lights dimed in the Arboretum indicating evening and how many hours had passed. Allyndra had enjoyed the time and waved goodbye to Lamar as she packed up the remains of the picnic. She could not help but hope that she would hear from him again soon.

[OFF]

--

WO Lamar Darius
Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Lirha Saalm]

Lt. Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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