CATS! [1]

Posted on 21 Feb 2014 @ 1:45pm by Lieutenant Teth Miir & M'Ressa

2,896 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Earth, Various
Timeline: MD 18, 1900 hours

ON:

Teth Miir did his best to seem calm an collected in spite of the fact that he was exceptionally anxious about his meeting with M'Ressa. Luckily he was well practiced at maintaining a placid demeanor in hectic situations. It was simply part of his job. Because in addition to anxiety, he felt euphoric>.

M'Ressa stepped off the pad of the transporter. Moments before she'd been standing in the warmth of a south African summer and the change to San Francisco's relative dampness sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

She spotted Teth in the crowd, not hard given he was the only Caitian she could see. Going over, M'Ressa clasped her hand in the traditional greeting of her people, claws retracted, grasping Teth's wrist.

And Teth returned the greeting in kind.

"It's good to see you again, M'Ressa." he said cheerfully, making his way to the next transporter pad.

"Did you find out where you're to be posted yet?"

M'Ressa shook her head. "Starfleet is running about as fast as the Federation Board of Medicine so I expect I'll get me transfer orders about two weeks after my ship departs."

Teth laughed, "I know the feeling. I had to wait at stardock for six weeks before I got my first posting after I graduated from the academy. And the bureaucratic gears don't seem to have quickened any since then."

M'Erresa took hold of Teth's paw as they waited. She wasn't sure about Earth customs or if this counted as a date or not but on Ferasa the holding of hands was as much a sign of friendship as it was of romance.

The counselor felt as if he were lighter than air and drifting out Earth's atmosphere as M'Ressa took his hand. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, dressed in terran fashion, it still suited her quite well. Though he supposed a tight black dress and high black boots was somehow a ubiquitous fashion staple for women across the quadrant.

He stared up at the enormous blue holographic signs above them, each indicating which transporter pad would go to what location. He quickly found the one for the European region, a trip he had made frequently while he was stationed on Earth years before and since he had been on leave.

"I believe it's this way to London." he said, pointing to the left. "I hope you know your way around the city better than I do, I've only been there a few times."

"I've been a few times. And the transport station should drop us off near the West End where everything is." As they waited their turn in line for the London pad, M'Ressa smiled back at Teth a bit unsurely. "Teth. I'm not that familiar with Terran customs. You grew up here so could you help me?" She paused. "I sometimes miss the subtle cues of Terrans and many of our people's custom's have similar meanings but can be misread by Humans. I really don't want to offend anyone."

~Least of all the cute Caitian holding my paw.~ She mused as they stood there together.

"I'll do my best." he said as they stood at the end of a short line. "I've lived here and worked here and some thing still perplex me."

M'Ressa just smiled back at Teth as they stepped onto the pad. Standing still, M'Ressa let the tingle take hold of her body as the process of transportation began. The swirl of light around her gripped her body and San Francisco began to fade, only to be replaced by London's terminal station. The confinement beam released and she stepped down off the pad.

Seeing Teth standing beside her, she took his paw and led him out of the facility and onto London's streets. Stepping out in the throngs, they began the walk from the London Central station to the South End.

"So you grew up here?"

"Well, not here specifically. I spent most of my time either in Dusseldorf or San Francisco. You mentioned family on Feresa earlier, is that where you grew up?"

"We grew up on one of the colony's in the Ferasan system. Dad was an agronomist working with Ferasa's Savannah Commission. Mother was our clan mother so I also spent a lot of time helping raise various cousins."

"That must have been nice. My parents only had my sister and I and we were detached from the rest of our family for most of my life. I've only met some of my cousins a handful of times. I would have loved to have had younger siblings. Children tend to be a lot more insightful than adults give them credit for."

M'Ressa chuckled. "Sometimes a little too insightful at times. Or at least, they express their insight in a way that's very direct because they don't know better."

"Your sister is here on earth?"

"She is. She is actually pregnant right now and staying with our parents in anticipation of the birth. Just a happy coincidence that I might be on leave when it happens."

"Then she must be near term," M'Ressa remarked. "Children are a blessing, and a joyous part of the cycle of life that Rrikalla grants us."

"Rrikalla." he repeated back to her, "I get the impression that you are quite spiritual?"

Though Teth had a passing curiosity about religion in general and it's effect on people's emotional well being, he never studied anything pertaining to the religious practice of his own people. Being the son of scientists, spirituality was not something that was commonly addressed in his family's home.

"I am to an extent. Which surprises many as being a scientist almost seems to preclude a belief in the supernatural. It is something that I struggled with growing up but have found a balance between the two that satisfies me."

"Maybe you can tell me more about it sometime." he said as they neared what appeared to be a bustling theater. "Is that it ahead?"

M'Ressa glanced up at the large sign over top the old theater. "I think that's the one." She smiled at Teth. "Shall we?"

"After you." he said, pulling open the large entry door. He felt as if he was stepping into a museum as he entered the place. Garish ancient human decor with small bits of modern technology mixed in.

M'Ressa passed a small PADD past an automated scanner as they entered the building. Much had changed in 300 years from the holos she'd seen of the place but the building was preserved much as it had been back then.

She led Teth up towards their assigned seating in a private box overlooking the stage. From here they had a good view of the performance but would not be disturbed.

"Such good seats on such short notice?" he said, impressed, before sitting into an old style foldable theater seat. The cushion was covered in teal velvet and he struggled to comfortably situate his tail- a problem he ran into frequently in Earth's older establishments.

"A co-worker owed me a favor. Didn't know these were box seats till we got here but not complaining." M'Ressa sat down, shifting her tail slightly so it curled around her leg, sticking out the bottom of her dress. One advantage to Terran female dresses, the tail could slide out of the way, unlike pants.

The Caitians settled in their private box as the aisle lights dimmed and the stage show began. The makeup was colorful and the songs were almost grating on Teth's ears, but he didn't mind. He couldn't stop looking over at M'Ressa, admiring the curve of her face in the reflection of the stage lights. And before he knew it, the actors were standing along the front of the stage, taking their final bow.

As the lights came up, M'Ressa glanced at Teth. She'd enjoyed the evening with Teth and really didn't want it to end so quickly. As they stood, she took Teth's hand. "Thank you for accompanying me Teth."

"Thank you for suggesting it." he said as he straightened his coat. He thought about his conversation with Olsam earlier and he wondered if he should ignore his better instinct and actually consider taking some of his advice.

"I don't suppose you're hungry? I'm not really sure what shift your on, or when you eat...."

"I had a light snack before I left. I didn't know what your plans were other then the play." She squeezed his hand. "If you wanted to find a place to eat I'd be game. Or if you had something else in mind..." She let that last part trail off.

She'd suspected Teth had offered her out on a date and while she'd initially accepted because spending time with one of her own was a change of pace, seeing Teth standing in the crowd earlier that evening convinced her that perhaps there was more to this then she'd thought.

"I'm not especially hungry either." he said, shaking off the idea. "Would you like to get a drink instead?"

As the two of them stepped out onto the night street of London, M'Eressa's eyes adjusted to the dark. "Sure. There's a quiet place overlooking the river that I like. Good view of the Thames river. Very friendly staff."

"That sounds great, lead the way."

Teth smiled. It was a smile of authentic contentedness and not the well practiced smile he used for work. Alone in a beautiful city with an even more beautiful woman. One who was fascinating and intelligent and had amazing legs and eyes and lips and at that he just sighed. He felt like some lecherous old man objectifying her. But he also knew it was just a physiological response that had been going on since the dawn of the existence of sexually reproducing organisms.

"You look very lovely, M'Ressa." he added as they both padded down the street. Cold blue and purple reflections of advertisement signs and window lights made London seem like some distant alien city, filled with unknown wonder and danger.

"Thank you." M'Ressa remarked. "You look quite smart yourself."

The short walk was a nice change of pace from the 24hr bustle of San Francisco. The older cities on earth seemed to quieten down after dark and London was no exception. Seeing the entrance in the distance, M'Ressa glanced at Teth. "Here's the place."

The facade of the pub was quite modern, bright colors and sharp lines. But as soon as they stepped into the building it had a presence of somewhere much older. There was a sign hanging instructing patrons to seat themselves and a string of pink paper lanterns lining the far wall. Teth ducked into the first open booth he saw and gave a cursory once over to the drink menu.

"You seem to know this city quite well, have you spent a lot of time here?"

M'Ressa slipped in across from Teth. "I have a co-worker who lives in London so she's shown me around several times. This place was a favorite of her's and I took a liking to it."

M'Ressa glanced over the drink menu. Alcohol didn't agree much with her but there was a drink she enjoyed from the menu.

A barkeeper in a black t-shirt approached the table, pen and paper in hand. He was tall and appeared to be at least partially Vulcan, maybe Romulan, but mostly just human. His blond hair and fair skin betrayed that much, you could only tell by his ears- the most dominant trait in the Vulcan genome.

"What can I get for you two?" he asked in an accent Teth couldn't quite place.

"I'll have your most palatable Andorian Ale." the counselor said, pulling a loose string from the sleeve of his shirt.

M'Ressa glanced up at the waiter. "London Fog Latte. Unreplicated whole milk though please."

As the waiter stepped away, M'Ressa reached over the table and took Teth's hand. She wasn't sure about Terran customs but assumed the holding of hands was part of their customs. She was also enjoying the touch of Teth's paw on her own.

Teth felt a sudden feeling of warmth spreading from the core of his body to his face and fingertips when M'Ressa took his hand. He smiled and felt almost light headed.

"I hope it isn't too forward for me to say this, but I think meeting you has been the best thing to happen to me in a very long time."

Then it slowly dawned on him that what he was feeling was some combination of happiness and enamoration.

"I really would like it if we could spend more time together."

M'Ressa blushed a little, the only real outward sign a slight flush to the exposed parts of her face. "Can I be forward with you too Teth?" M'Ressa paused. "I've had a few dates before with other guys, nothing serious, but this is the first time I've really enjoyed spending time with my date. I don't know earth's customs well but if you wanted to spend more time together, to go on more of these dates, I'd be happy to."

He laughed, "You know, I'm not exactly an expert on Earth customs either. But yes, I would be very happy to continue as well. I'm not sure what actual Caitian customs are like, so you'll have to forgive me."

"Courtship customs vary from clan to clan. My clan, well let's just say they're quite liberal about that. Our belief is that no amount of rituals will really express what is in the hearts of two Caits, only time and closeness."

M'Ressa looked up at the waiter came back with their order. She reluctantly let go of Teth's paw so she could take a sip of her drink. The drink was smooth and the cream sublime.Taking a second sip, M'Ressa began to feel a sensation of warmth flow through her body.

Teth settled back in his seat, feeling flushed and dizzy from the alcohol. He was one to rarely drink, but it had been happening more and more lately.

"So tell me more about yourself. Where have you been? Where are you going?"

"In life you mean? Behind me, a path similar to my sisters, same and yet so different. Before me, I don't know. Earth seems to be a waypoint in my life, a place of endless yet hidden directions." She continued. "Eventually perhaps motherhood if the right male comes along, right now no idea."

M'Ressa leaned back in her chair a little. Perhaps it was the milk, perhaps just being around one of her own, but she found Teth's scent exciting in a way she'd never been before. She reached out her paw to take it in her's as she leaned forwards. Perhaps she was beginning to feel what the humans called tipsy.

Whatever it was, M'Ressa found her eyes wandering over Teth's well groomed fur and the Terran outfit he wore. Her mind began to wander a little and she had to force herself back to the present.

"Earth seems to serve that role for a lot of people." he said, absentmindedly twirling the straw in his drink. She always seemed so poetic. A characteristic, Teth figured, linked to some rich and proud Caitian culture.

"Perhaps we could catapult across the universe at time folding speeds in a tiny metal box together. That's where I'm going at least."

"The Galileo you mean?" M'Ressa contemplated the idea in her head as she watched Teth playing with the glass. She took a sip from her cup which seemed to calm her already mellow state even further.

A thought began forming in her head as she waited for Teth's reply. She tried dismissing the notion but it kept coming back around and popping into her head despite her best efforts. The feel of his hand in hers and the his scent in her nostrils was intoxicating and she found herself wanting to explore Teth a bit more then just talking on a date.

The notion was silly of course but try as she might, she couldn't shake the thought.

"Of course. I can already tell that it's going to be an interesting ride." he grinned, finishing his iridescent blue ale "So what would you like to do for the rest of this evening?"

M'Ressa looked at the last of her latte, trying to decide whether to finish the last sip or not. The full fat milk was hitting her pretty hard today, and she wasn't sure if it would be wise to finish it. That said, if she was going to act on the thoughts passing though her head, she'd need every drop of liquid courage she could muster.

"I'm not really sure Teth. It's getting late but I have the day off tomorrow so if you wanted to 'hang out', I think that's what the Terrans call it, at my place we could." She paused. "Or have I got my Terran customs mixed up?"

"No, I think you have them right." Teth said as he paid the waiter. He was going home with her and he started feeling heart palpitations and a slight shaking in his wrists.

"So do you stay here in London?"

END:



Lt. JG Teth Miir
Counselor
USS Galileo

&


PO2 M'Ressa
Biotechnologist
USS Galileo

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