Location, Location, Location

Posted on 29 Apr 2014 @ 7:34pm by Senior Chief Petty Officer Keval zh'Erinov & Lieutenant Elijah Williams IV, M.Sc.

4,083 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Decks 4 and 5, Elijah Williams' Quarters f/b Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD -12 - 1900 Hours

ON:

Keval had promised himself and Elijah that they would take things slowly. And he had every intention of keeping his word, but he had something to show the other man. Something he hadn't showed anyone. His own personal Fortress Of Solitude

He could have worn shorts and a tee shirt, but that would have been sending the wrong signals. It would have been far too cold for the Human to be so scantly dressed. And besides he didn't want to arrive quite so casually.

So when he rang the chime he was wearing teal colored khakis and a gray and teal striped, long sleeved, rugby shirt.

All Keval had told him was to dress casual but covered, which of course piqued his curiosity but he went with it. He was kind of fond of retro clothing and when off-duty and padding around the ship he always wore a pair of old high top converses. He had three pair, a black pair, a blue pair and a white pair. He wore a pair of dark-denim jeans that were a slim fit, a white long sleeve henley and a purple hoodie. He spritzed on some cologne, a subtle but musky smell and then the chime rang. He ran a hand through his hair, gave himself one more look in the full-length mirror and said, "Enter."

Keval stepped in, unsure of what the proper greeting protocol should be for two men who were friends, but potentially more than friends. A kiss, no that was WAY too personal since they had never done that. A handshake no, that was a little too impersonal, like two strangers meeting on the street. A hug, well maybe but he wasn't sure what reserved Elijah would think of that.

So in the end, rather lamely, he just crossed the short distance between them and said, "You're looking nice." He almost added and you smell nice too, but decided against it. After all he hadn't really worn cologne, though he had just showered and washed his hair with a shampoo that gave off the fragrance of tropical fruits.

"I've got someplace special to show you, I hope you'll like it."

Elijah smiled. "I look forward to it," he said. Which he was, being on Galileo was his opportunity to start new and maybe break out of his shell some. It had been a bit of a slow process but he had Keval to help with that.

"Great, I've got Holodeck 2 reserved for 90 minutes. We can probably bump that up some if we need to or even quit early."

He led the geologist to the turbolift and as they stepped inside, he said, "So is this just two friends hanging out, or is this a date?"

He looked to Keval; there was some growing frustration on his part though that didn't show. He wasn't really sure what to say or how to answer that. "We don't have to label it do we? I mean, can't we just hang out." He turned his attention forward as guilt washed over him. "I'm sorry, I hope that didn't seem harsh."

Keval held up his hands in surrender, "No, I guess we don't and I'm the one that should apologize. Let's just have some fun."

Elijah felt guilty now, though he wasn't entirely sure why. He knew he was being cautious; he enjoyed spending time with Keval, so why in the world did he just not admit that to the other man. It all came down to feeling like damaged goods. It came down to him not feeling worthy of any type of attention or dare he say it... love. Years and years of walls and protection were built; they weren't going to tumble down over night. He just nodded the acceptance of the apology, though the apology wasn't needed.

As they approached the holodeck doors the smile had returned to Keval's face, "Good thing you dressed warm, you're probably going to need it.

He pressed a button and the doors swished open. When the doors closed they could feel a brisk, even chilly wind that carried a strong briny aroma. The sky was gray and heavy with clouds that promised a chilling rain or perhaps even sleet. Before them was a series of stone steps spiraling upwards. If Elijah looked carefully could see spire that looked as if came from a medieval castle.

"An old family home," Keval said, "and yes its very much based on reality. Watch your step though it could get a little dicey.

Elijah shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he looked around. He quirked an eyebrow, "How old exactly?"

Built originally in the mid-18th century, though the version I knew had been updated. This one, well except for electricity, not so much. Everything else I tried to keep as close to the original as possible. "

He started up the steps, "I'll take the outside you stay on the inside as we go up. I only have the safety protocols at 70%."

"Why only at 70%?" Elijah asked he started up the stairs with Keval. The two were in sync as they climbed. The only thing he could think of himself was for authenticity purposes. Gosh, he hated over-thinking this crap. Just like he wanted to ask why a sunny, warmer day wasn't programmed but against he figured it came down to authenticity. A chill ran down his spine and his body shook ever so slightly. "Please tell me there is a little fire in a fireplace somewhere."

"Actually there's a big one," the Andorian answered noticing the other man shivering, "and a nice hot brandy if you want. And, I'm not trying to be forward here, but if you're cold you can always huddle against me. I give off plenty of warmth."

Elijah chuckled and shook his head. "Not trying to be too forward eh?" Though, he didn't know much about Andorian physiology, it didn't seem like the species, as a whole would give off body heat. The offer for the brandy was a nice one, but he already knew he would pass. "So, beyond the cuddling, why did you want to show me this place?" It wasn't that he wasn't appreciative, but it was cold, dark and dank. Not his idea of fun, unless... Keval had other ideas.

"Because I spent time here, well the real here anyway, when I was younger. I go here now when I want to be alone or think. And I've never brought anyone here before. Not here and not the real place either.

And when the weather clears and the sun shines, the views are spectacular. And if you are into fantasy I even have that programmed. If not, well it's just a nice place to come and get away from it all. Read a book take a long walk, just about everything."

That caused Elijah to take pause and he found himself just stopping where he stood. So Keval was sharing a part of himself with him, letting him in so to speak. He believed the Andorian when he said that he had never brought anyone here before, it was the antennae, something Elijah had noticed since day one. The antennae didn't betray emotion and he read up on the movement. Despite Keval's brashness and boldness, the Andorian didn't just leave at the first sign of not getting a relationship or sex. I think he really likes me, Elijah thought to himself.

He liked Keval as well, but he wasn't sure if it was the same like like. He wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment. Maybe this was one of those serendipity moments that he had heard others talk about. The Andorian had stopped as well and gave him a curious look. It was to be expected. His stomach knotted and he swallowed hard. He felt like his was going to throw up. But was that a good thing or a bad thing. Elijah withdrew his left hand from his pocket and though there was some hesitation on his part he reached out and took a hold of Keval's hand.

"I, I, I," he began to stammer. It was something he did when he was nervous, or scared and it was a habit he tried hard to break. He cleared his throat and started over. "I, I can't promise you anything."

The tops of both Keval's antennae slowly curled slightly forward in surprise. Elijah's response had been the last thing he had expected. Of course they were on a holodeck and there was no one else around, but that was beside the point.

Despite his claims, legitimate in his own mind Keval was sure, that he couldn't promise anything, this was a very big deal for his companion. An act of intimacy, a sign that some of the walls he had erected around him, the fortress he had built up was starting to crumble.

For the umpteenth time he thought of kissing Elijah, but that would have spoiled the moment and possibly had the opposite effect that he wanted. So instead his hand just wrapped around the other man's. "You don't have to promise me anything. I still don't know exactly what this is or what is going to happen, but I just want you to know that I am starting to care about you."

This was a big step for Elijah and this was still all new to him. The last time he held anyone's hand was his little sister's and that was at least 10 years ago. She was like five or six and his mother instructed him to watch over her. She was a rambunctious child who turned into a rambunctious teenager. Their parents treated her different. To his knowledge, Melissa wasn't subjected to the same verbal and physical abuse he and his brothers were.

This again, was him over thinking. After a few beats of silence, the two continued on the their trek. "No one has ever told me that they cared about me, or cared for me," he said, his voice now soft and low. He huffed a slight chuckle and rolled in his eyes. "I mean, maybe my mom did when I was born."

They were nearing the top of the curved stairway now and they could see the manor house to their right. It wasn't quite as massive as a full-blown castle, though it was big enough. It was easily 9,000 to 10,000 square feet.

"That must have been hell for you, never hearing that. But that was then and this is now. Now you do have someone. You have me."

Elijah smiled at that, though he was still so unsure of all of this. However, it was something he could put to the back of his mind for now. "I appreciate that Keval," he said. At that moment his gaze fell onto the manor. "Wow!" he gasped.

"Impressive isn't it?" Keval asked, "And maybe somewhat pretentious, one reason why I've never brought someone here before. I didn't want to come off as, I don't know some selfish prig, or someone trying to buy love. You know what I mean?"

"I suppose so," Elijah nodded. "But do people still actually think that? I mean the whole buying love bit." He let his gaze drift about taking in the detail of the manor and grounds. "It reminds me of some of the old big plantation houses in Atlanta. They have been preserved and put on the historical registry, very opulent and pretentious as well but they serve as a reminder of an era of United States history that wasn't such a good one."

"I've never been there, but I remember from my history classes. It was a pretty dark time. As to the whole buying love thing, I guess maybe I didn't put that very well. Maybe I should have said, I want people to like me not my wealth or I don't want people to think they should like my wealth not me."

He pulled out a key that was ancient looking, made of brass about three inches long and inserted into the door. He pushed it then and with only a slight hesitation it slid open revealing a large oval shaped foyer with plank flooring. There were four doors along the curved edges, An ornate spiral staircase leading up that was located to their left about thirty feet in directly in front of them was a wide opening with a hall beyond it.

"There's a fire in the Great Room upstairs, the bedrooms are on the third floor and there is a library, a kitchen and other rooms on this level."

Elijah let his hand slip from Keval's as he stepped forward; a soft whistle escaped his lips as he took in his surroundings. He spun on his heel so that he was now facing Keval, "This is very nice, very nice indeed.

Keval was mildly disappointed that Elijah was no longer holding his hand. It had been awhile and he had forgotten how good it felt. But he smiled. He was feeling a warmth inside that didn't come from the distant fire that had done nothing more than knock the chill off the evening, or his own Andorian physiology. It was the presence of the other man that made him feel that way.

"Thanks, now you know why I love it here. So let's go get warm and then we can just skip the night cycle and skip to the morning? Or maybe we can just talk some more."

No, he didn't want to skip to morning; he liked how things were going. "No need to skip," Elijah said as he offered a smile. "Talking would be good."

He led Elijah up the broad staircase and down a short hallway. The Great Room was indeed immense, looking more like a medium size ballroom in a hotel. Perfectly square and close to 6400 feet of space. The floor was made of dark bamboo; there were paintings on three of the walls. Most were old and portraits of humans in various forms of ancient dress, but along the East wall were pictures that Elijah could easily tell had been done by Keval.

The Northern wall, opposite of where they made their entrance had a curtain along its entire length. Along the Western wall covering the middle half was a marble fireplace with a roaring fire inside it and two over stuffed chairs, a small couch and a coffee table made of dark wood.

"Let's go have a seat," Keval suggested.

Elijah's gray eyes gazed about as he took in the Great Room. It was truly amazing and he understood now why it was called as such. "Alright," he said as he took a seat.

Keval bent down at the coffee table and opened a glass decanter. "Do you want some brandy? It's the real thing. Not everything here is replicated."

He wasn't sure if he should, he never drank much so he didn't hold real liquor really well. "Maybe just a little," Elijah said. "I don't really hold my liquor well."

His left antenna quirked forward ever so slightly, as he poured he large snifters about one third full. "Only one drink then and just sip it. I'm not trying to get you drunk. Anything else I could get for you, are you hungry?"

Elijah nodded as he took the snifter that was handed to him. "I could eat," he said. Though, he wasn't sure what he would want to eat. "Whatever you decide is fine with me, I am not picky."

"Well I like to stay authentic as much as I can. So how about Cornish Game Hens over rice. I mean it's replicated but the best that I can do." he picked up a small bell and rang it and a few minuets later a butler appeared. He gave the servant their order than sat down taking a sip of his own brandy.

"So how do you like it?" he asked.

"Oh um," he looked down at the snifter that he held between both hands. He swirled it slightly and became fixated on the amber liquid. He brought the glass globe to his lips and sipped gingerly. He liked the taste and he took another sip. "I like it," he said.

"Good, just don't get too carried away. It's been a long day and I don't want you getting drunk on me or anything."

"Alright," Elijah said. It almost sounded like a lecture, but maybe he was reading too much into this. "Just a few sips, with having some food that will help as well." He took another slight sip of the brandy and then placed the snifter down onto the large coffee table.

Keval sipped his brandy, appreciating the fiery taste and letting it linger on his tongue In short order an older looking human dressed rather formerly entered the room. He was carrying a tray of steaming food. Cornish Game Hens on a bed of brown rice and a salad made of fresh greens, apples and nuts. He sat the two plates down and started to toss the salad."Would you like some salad Master Elijah?" he asked in British accent.

Mater Elijah? Elijah could get used to this, though he knew it was just too extravagant concerning his humble background. "Thank you, I would like some," he said. "It looks delicious."

The butler served Elijah first, he didn't even ask Keval if he wanted a salad, the just some on a plate and put it in front of him. Perhaps a couple of spring waters for my friend and I?" the Andorian suggested as he took another sip of the brandy.

Then he started in on the salad while the butler left the room."I hope that was okay ordering for you. An old habit of mine. Feel free to smack me upside the head next time."

"An old habit? Isn't that kind of an outdated thing to do?" Elijah asked as he began to eat his salad.

"Yeah I guess you could say so, I'm sorry I shouldn't have assumed. You can smack me if you want."

This time Elijah chuckled. "No worries there, no reason to get violent over such a thing," he said then winked at the Andorian. "So, I have to ask, was it hard to go from the finer things in life to the basics of Starfleet?"

"Not really. I never spent much time in the castles or mansions. My adoptive dad was Star Fleet when I was growing up so the finer things were just part of our vacations. No what was hard was going from being the CTO of a major corporation where I made the decisions to being a petty officer on a Star Ship where I mostly just take orders."

"Lieutenant junior grades just mostly take orders too ya know," Elijah said. Everyone takes orders from someone else; it was the way things worked in Starfleet no matter if you were an officer or an enlisted person. "Have you ever thought about going into officer training?"

"I have, actually. Some fairly serious consideration. Right now I'm leaning in that direction. I think after we get back from our little "ghost hunt" I'll talk to the Captain about it. And yes I know everyone takes orders, I'm getting used to it now."

He took a sip of the brandy. He paused listening. "I think the rain's stopped, Do you want to go on the roof and look at the stars, pause the program here, or just advance to the morning?"

"What's the fun in advancing the program?" Elijah asked. "I might be a geologist, but I am still a scientist." His gray eyes shifted upward, he had to admit the holodeck was starting to grow on him. Maybe he would book some time for himself in the near future, after the mission was over. He stood up and extended his hand to the Andorian. "Let's go to the roof and stargaze."

Keval took the offered hand and led the Human to a staircase hidden behind a grandfather clock. They exited onto the roof. The moon was a mere sliver low in the sky. A sky riddled with bright stars they were surrounded by farmland with a broad river running through it and beside the manor. The light of a distant city could just be made out.

The air was still crisp but without the wind it was bearable. "Can I ask you a question Elijah?"

Elijah looked up into the night sky and a small smile spread onto his lips. Though the Galileo was his ticket off of Earth, he wanted to be out in space but there was something about looking up into the night sky from the planet surface. "Sure," he said as continued to look up at familiar stars and constellations.

Keval eyes drifted from the night sky to Elijah's face, both his antenna curling forward. "Why did you take my hand earlier? Don't get me wrong I'm glad you did. Really glad, but I'm just wondering why?"

"Oh." The one lone word that left Elijah's lips was soft. His gaze drifted back level and he turned his full attention to Keval. "Well, you shared something personal with me," he said as he lifted his arms to indicate the surrounding area. Then I realized that, and correct me if I am wrong here, that you like me... more than friends like. It just felt right to take your hand, something instinctual I guess." He shrugged as his gaze drifted upward again, he sighed. His gaze then dropped back to Keval. "I think maybe..." he tilted his head and huffed in frustration. "Oh heck," he lifted onto his tiptoes and pressed his lips to Keval's.

Keval was to say the least surprised. His antennae straightened up and he returned the kiss in kind, nor deepening it, but letting it linger. He forgot all about the night sky and his arms wrapped around Elijah's back drawing him, to himself in a hug.

So this is what it's like, Elijah thought to himself. It felt nice, he felt a shiver run down his spin and his body flushed. It had aroused him. He pulled his lips from Keval's and blew out a breath. He pulled from the Andorian as guilt started to set in. "Oh gosh... I... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"I was going to if you hadn't I do care about you, more than as a friend and to be honest I want to do more than just kiss, but this is all new to you. We can take it a step at a time. As slow as you want tog. Just don't feel guilty for expressing yourself."

"Very, very new actually," Elijah said as he nodded. He was sure his cheeks colored a light rosy blush. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "But, okay I won't feel guilty."

Keval let a blue finger trail down Elijah's face. "It's okay," he assured him, "I won't ever hurt you and I won't push you. You tell me what do you want to do."

Elijah resisted the urge to say 'I can't promise anything' but held his tongue. He didn't want to be like that, but there was still that small niggling of doubt in the back of his mind. But, he liked the kiss; it was really nice. Just like he really liked holding Keval's hand. It felt... right. But where it came from, he just wasn't sure. Did it really happen that quick, liking someone in that fashion? "I appreciate that," he finally said. "I don't know what is next," he shrugged, "is it okay to just take it day by day?"

"Of course,"the Andorian responded, thinking back to his encounter with a certain Betazoid Quartermaster,"I wouldn't have it any other way. I want a relationship, if it comes to that, I don't want a fling. Relationships don't happen overnight."

Nodding, Elijah inched closer so that he stood next to Keval instead of facing him. He snaked an arm around the other man's waist and held it there. He looked to Keval, then smiled and then lifted his eyes to the evening sky.

OFF:

Lieutenant JG Elijah Williams IV
Geologist
USS Galileo

&

Chief Petty Officer Keval Graysan (zh'Erinov)
Operations
USS Galileo
(PNPC played by Lieutenant Jared Nicholas)

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