After The Show

Posted on 06 Mar 2014 @ 5:47pm by Senior Chief Petty Officer Keval zh'Erinov & Lieutenant Asahi Kita

2,600 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: San Francisco, California
Timeline: MD 10 - 2035 Hrs

ON

Asahi was an attractive man, Keval could not deny that. Even though he did not consider himself to be so shallow as to only care about looks, or to care about looks primarily, he could not help but admire the man's features.

And of course his curiosity had been piqued. Asahi had been friendly enough, but there was friendly and then there was open and receptive. Keval just wanted to know.

So as everyone else was getting ready to depart he said, "Hey Asahi, I mean Lieutenant, do you have a minute?"

Asahi had just barely waved everyone else a goodnight, after having dropped them off for home. He had expected Keval to do the same, and nearly squeaked in terror at the sound of the voice. Whirling around, his wide-eyed, deer in the headlights look subsided once he realized who was speaking to him. "Oh, I'm sorry! I thought everyone was on their way home. How rude of me." He grinned, nodding. "Sure, what's up?"

"Well, I'm kind of a night owl as humans would say. and hungry as well. I thought you might want to grab a bite to eat or just a drink or two. There are some great restaurants in the city and if you just want drinks there's a nice bar that I like. Just around the corner from my place. Tonight is karaoke night."

"That makes you and me both. You can call me Asahi by the way." The engineer leaned against the car, expression turning to one of contemplation. "Well, I'm not doing anything tonight. Not anything else anyway, so that sounds like fun!" His brow quirked as he came to a realization. "... You know, if I didn't know any better... hm... are you asking me out?" He was never good with subtleties.

"Well I promise to be a good boy. Honest. But yes. I've been admiring you from afar for sometime now. This seemed to be a good opportunity"

".... Oh." Asahi could feel the blush rising in his cheeks. He always managed to be thrown off by things like this. He smiled weakly. "Well, can't say I saw that coming, but I'm not the brightest when it comes to people." He rubbed the back of his head. "But I've already said yes, so I'm yours' for the night." Despite his embarrassment, he winked.

Keval grinned slightly at the remark catching its potential double meaning. Hi left antennae curled almost all the way back against his head. "I don't know if I would go around making promises I didn't intend on keeping," he returned.

It was an unintended double meaning, but Asahi didn't let that get to him. "We'll see what you say after you hear me crack a tune during karaoke." After a pause, he gestured toward the car again. "Shall we hop back in, or is the bar not far from here?"

"I bet you're better than you let on. I'm not bad myself. Maybe we can sing a duet together. And I think it would be a pretty far walk from here, so we should probably just get back in."

Asahi smiled, popping the doors of the hovercar open. He bowed low, gesturing toward the passenger side with a grin. "After you, sir~"

Keval gave the charmingly good looking man a smile as he stepped back inside the car. When Asahi had entered he gave him directions.

Asahi was quick to start the car up (with another slam on the dashboard of course), and managed to drive them toward their destination with relative ease. "So... I don't think I've seen you around much have I? On the Galileo I mean. You're definitely not in engineering, or I'd have remembered your face by now..."

"Actually I am Operations. Engineering Lite. Like I said, I've noticed you."

"Engineering light?" Asahi quirked a brow. "There's more to that than just poking at engineering things... hm... but I do think I remember seeing your face now. It's a very distinctive face, and not just because it's blue."

"I'm going to take distinctive to mean highly attractive as opposed to 'Oh my god its A Denubian Slime Worm," Keval joked, "Seriously thanks. And yeah you're right there is more to Operations than that. I actually specialize in communications and security systems. Do you have a specialization, aside from having a very distinctive face?"

"... I dunno what a Denubian Slime Worm is, but you're definitely the opposite of that." Asahi nodded. "Hey, those are some good specialties. Means I won't have to go hunting for a tactical officer every time I need to poke in their hardware." He smiled weakly. "Ah, if I had one, it'd be energy and matter. Deuterium's what my academy instructors knew me for most. I nearly got myself kicked out of class one day because I didn't agree with how the energy flow diagram was laid out." He huffed. "Not my fault the instructor didn't know how to connect up the warp core to the nacelles efficiently."


"Ah well thanks for the compliment, like I said you're pretty good looking yourself. And I'm a guy that speaks his mind as well. Just because someone is an instructor doesn't mean they're infallible.

Oh, you should turn here, there's better parking up that way. A little further from the action so to speak but its less of a hassle and I kind of enjoy walking. What do you do for fun?"

At this, the engineer shook his head, cheeks turning pink. "Nah, I'm nothing to shake a stick at." As he continued the conversation, he nodded, following Keval's instructions and parking a little further off. "Yes well, getting an instructor to realize that is... ah... difficult. I think they're more stubborn than a Ferengi after their money... Mmm... Walking's good. Hm...

Reading. Mostly engineering journals, but I take to some of the earlier science fiction works when humans were still pre-warp tech. It's surprising what people came up with back in those days."

"Interesting," Keval said "I enjoy painting but other than that am more of an outdoor guy, though I do like a good jaunt in the holodeck.

Tell me, are you seeing someone now, you know a boyfriend?"

"Me?" Asahi popped the driver's side door open, after he slammed the car dash to turn it off once more. "Nah. Too much of a workaholic. I haven't really thought about getting a significant anything in any manner. Besides, I wouldn't have accompanied you to karaoke if I had one."


"I'm impressed," Keval responded after a beat, "I mean I'm impressed that you would value a relationship enough that you wouldn't 'go out' with me if you were involved. I value relationships too."

He turned slightly away as he turned a deeper shade of blue, "I'm not suggesting that there is anything, or would anything betw..... Sorry I was just asking that as kind of a general question.

Although if you had been involved I would have dropped my pursuit... DAMN I'm sounding like a 14 year old. I'm not pursuing you... not that I wouldn't..
ARRGH! I think I'm just going to stop while I'm ahead."

Asahi blinked, waiting for the Andorian to finish before finally speaking up. "I dunno, you sound kinda cute." He shrugged, smiling. "No harm in a date, regardless of your innocent intentions. Sounds like you just wanted to share a night with some like-minded company. If something comes of it, great. All else fails, at least we know we can rely on each other to not be crazy, right?"

The Andorian blushed a deeper shade of blue sill at Asahi's compliment but then recovered somewhat"Yes," he managed finally, "Tonight I'm just here to have some fun. Sing a few songs have a few laughs and down a couple of pints of Andorian Ale.

Beyond that, well I don't want to speculate beyond that . Why don't we just go hang out and just enjoy ourselves. And hey if you're a good singer, they have a contest, cash prizes, we could enter as a duet. Hell even if you're not good we can sill have fun. What do you say?"

"Hey, that sounds great. I wouldn't mind having a bit of fun, and you know what?" In a rare show of charm, Asahi winked. "I've never tried Andorian Ale either. It'll be a new experience all around."

"Well then you're in for a treat, its really good." He led the way down the steep hill to Castro Street. They waited for the light to change then crossed the street and turned west till they came to a bar called the Mix.

A line to get in wound from inside the entry way out on to the street. Most of the patrons waiting to enter were same sex couples, most holding hands, but there were few straight couples as well.

While they waited Keval took Asahi by shoulder and pointed across the street to the opulent Castro Theater. "We'll have to check it out some time That's a great retro-place. They have actual old movies. There. Not holovids, movies."

Keval paused, letting the statement hang in the air. Had he just been making an off hand remark or had he just invited Asahi out for a second time when they hadn't even finished their first date or whatever it was that they were doing.

Asahi followed behind him, not entirely aware of where they were walking into. Not that he would have minded either way; fun was fun, regardless of where they ended up. He paused only to give the theater a good once over, smiling. "I've heard about it, but I've never had the time to poke around. I wouldn't mind going some time." If it was a veiled attempt at a second date invitation, Asahi definitely didn't notice. "I also wouldn't mind poking in their projector room to see what equipment they use... but I don't think they'd appreciate that much."

"More than likely not. but you never know. We could always ask I suppose.The worst they can do is tell us no. Heck, they might even say yes."
By the time they had finished talking they were the next in line. Keval put his thumb print on the data pad to pay for the cover charge. "You take care of the first round and we're even he to Asahi, "Now let's go see if we can win us some prizes."

"They might. I've been known to pout extra-well when I really really want something." The engineer beamed, before immediately frowning. "Now hold on-..." But he decided not to argue the charge, as he followed the Andorian further into the club. "Only if they give prizes to someone who sounds like he's dying half the time."

The crowd inside was huge with too many bodies packed into too confined a place. They had to weave their way through he crowd. Keval grabbed the other man by the elbow, the hand might have been been have been more efficient but this wasn't even a date.

"I'll register us,'"he said pointing to a bald man, then at a table stacked with PADD "You go over there and start looking for songs."

"Sounds good to me." Asahi wiggled a bit, before trotting off to the table of songs. He had no idea what songs sounded good. The last time he was at a karaoke place, he had been piss drunk, and probably didn't make the best choices. "... Hmmmm..."

Keval could not help himself,he watched as Asahi walked away, enjoying the view while it lasted. He then turned away and approached the counter where the bald man was holding court. "Yeah?" he asked, "What can I
Do for ya?" the man asked with a hint of smirk.

"I'm here to register for the duet contest."

The man nodded nonchalantly."And yer boyfriend's name?"

"His name is Asahi and he's not my boyfriend, we're just friends."

"Whatever ya say, but if ye been the oriental guy over there, he has a nice ass. I'd fuck him if I were you."

Keval turned a deep shade of blue, but it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment or maybe a combination of the two. After he paid the fee, he practically stalked back to the bar to wait for his 'date'.

Said 'date' had picked them out three relatively pitchy duets, blissfully oblivious to anyone 'surveying the landscape.' He returned to Keval's side, grin wide. "I picked out a nice selection of songs we can butcher. I think we'll knock 'em dead-..." He trailed off, eyeing the Andorian with concern. He hadn't seen a shade of blue that deep in a long while, not since the Fargo's warp core melt down incident. "You okay? You look a little... constipated."

Keval shrugged, "Some jerk was making rude comments. First he assumed that we were a couple then he suggested that I... How should I put this nicely. He said I should seduce you."

"... That's a nice way of putting it." Asahi looked over his shoulder, now acutely aware of anyone's eyes on his rear end. He could feel the heat in his cheeks, turning a shade of red that may have matched Keval's blue. "... Should keep their eyes to themselves."

Keval put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything to you. No need for you to get pissed too. But for the record I pretty much told him he was an asshat. First his assuming we were boyfriends was bad enough. I mean, not that, that would be a bad thing, it was just his assuming and then even worse, he wanted basically rape your behind."

"I-I'm not pissed." Asahi mumbled into his jacket, attempting to make himself as small as possible in the barstool he found himself perched on. "It's just a little discomforting is all. D-don't worry about it. Let's just enjoy ourselves, hm?"

"Sounds like a plan. now what songs did you pick out for us to butcher?"

The engineer shrugged. "I kind of pointed and clicked. Twentieth Century rock tunes didn't seem to have been touched, so I picked out a couple of those. Bohemian Rhapsody's a relic... surprised no one went for that yet."

"Give me a chance to look it over. So do you want to destroy the harmony or the melody?"

"... The harmony. My voice might actually manage some of the higher notes." Asahi gave a wild grin at this, embarrassment all but forgotten.

"Okay, well I've got the melody then. We're number 15 by the way. So why don't we grab a drink first. I'm buying."

Asahi wasn't going to argue with that. "Alright. Get ourselves drunk while we listen to the competition then? I'm looking forward to that Andorian Ale you keep mentioning."

"Singing drunk may make us better, at least we'll think so," Keval responded as he went over to the bar and ordered two Andorian Ales, making sure they gave him the real version. He came back and handed one to his new friend.

Asahi nodded, taking the blue beverage and smiling. "That's what counts most." He examined the near neon-toned drink. He wasn't used to his alcohol looking like it belonged on a landing strip. "... Bottoms up?"

"Yeah, bottoms up," came the reply before he drained a quarter of the glass.

OFF

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

CPO Keval Grayson
Operations
USS Galileo

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