Location, Location, Location

Posted on 14 Sep 2015 @ 3:01pm by Lieutenant JG Lenaris Marika

3,702 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 09 - Empires
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 04 - Room 2624
Timeline: MD 05 - 2100h (or the next day?)

One of the doors to room 2624 on deck 4 was open, having been stuck since half the EPS relays on the deck had blown. It hadn’t been fixed, in part because the owner didn’t care much for it to be. She preferred it that way. She felt more connected to the rest of the ship. In any case, she had always preferred open doors and open spaces.

Standing in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but her regulation underwear, blue boxer briefs and sports bra, foot tapping to a steady beat, right hand tapping her calf in between each foot tap, one, then two, then one again, was a young Bajoran woman. Her head swung from side to side, a low hum emanating from her throat, deeply entranced in whatever ritual she has started.

Why she stood there in her underwear, humming to a tune in her head, was a question many had asked themselves as they passed by. Why she hadn’t closed her doors was another. These questions, like many others, could find a rather easy answer, should a person simply ask. But most knew better. As to ask a question of this lovely young ensign often brought the person who had asked, to writher in self pity wondering, if this, was what going insane felt like.

As she continued with her strange swaying, her senses registered someone at the door. She did not pause, in anything but the humming as she asked in a faux robotic voice. “How, may, I, be, of, ser-vice?”

Wintrow hesitated in the doorway, unable to do anything but stare for a moment. He was carrying a duffle with his few personal belongings, and a guitar case. "I uhm..." He hesitated, finally tearing his eyes away from the woman's barely clad body. "Apparently, I live here ma'am. My prior quarters were destroyed and I've been reassigned." introduction was unnecessary as they'd already met on the shuttle.


Eyes snapped open as she promptly turned around and squealed with glee. “Rooooomie! This will be awesome!” Jumping in place a few times, in what obviously was great happiness at the news. “I was hoping something like this might happen. Not the part where your quarters get thrashed, that can’t be much fun. But I was getting so lonely here by my lonesome. Lonely by my lonesome. See? That’s what it’s been doing to me. This is going to be great. Well don’t just stand there, come on in. Welcome home!” She motioned him in with great gestures of the arms. She was so happy she felt like hugging him, but restrained herself.

Blinking as her enthusiasm barreled into his mental barriers - what little there was of them anyways - Wintrow offered a shy smile as he stepped further inside, setting his guitar case aside against the wall. "Which bunk is yours?" he asked quietly, as he surveyed the room, "my prior roommate was female, do you have any privacy requirements that I need to be aware of? My prior roommate had none, and I have no real requirements either. Just....if for some reason you need to touch me, give me a little warning....please."

“No real requirements, I sometimes forget I haven’t dressed yet, so feel free to point that out if you see me going out the door without a proper uniform.” She winked at him with a grin. “I took the top one, but that’s because I like to jump down and had no problem changing if for some reason you prefer it. Now I used to be rather grabby, I think it’s in my gene code, but I learned not to do that, although that was rather difficult, but you don’t need to worry, I control myself rather well, but if I ever make you uncomfortable you need to let me know because I might not realize it, and I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable. So I won’t touch you unless you want me too, either by asking or making it rather clear that I can, by clear I mean neon light with a flashy pointy finger type of clear, otherwise I just might fly right through it. Not because I won’t see it, but I’ve mistaken things so often in the past I just don’t try and figure it out anymore unless it’s someone I’ve known for a really long time. Which obviously not the case here, so you’ll have to vocalize any and all problems, or permissions you may or may not wish for me to have.” Taking a short breath, she wanted to continue, but remembered it was good to let people respond. She beamed him one of her numerous smiles.

"You do talk a lot," Wintrow smiled, feeling a little more at ease now. "I don't mind the lower bunk at all, and I promise I won't kick the underside of yours." This was certainly different than side-by-side beds, that was for sure. "And I don't mind spontaneous it's just...I kind of like my personal space...it's not you, it's me." He dumped his duffle on the lower bunk then turned to look at her again. "You are somewhat....under dressed ma'am."

“That I am!” She grinned at him, with an almost evil look. “But if you call me ma’am again, I’ll have to tickle you until you yell uncle. That is what you humans say, yes? Uncle? I never got that. In any case, by all that you may find holy, drop the ma’am. Please! I’m way too young to be ma’amed. Sure and do it in front of the big wigs if it makes you feel better, but in here at the very least, drop it. Marika will do just fine. What are you doing on a ship anyways? This your cadet cruise? ‘Cause if it is, it’s a hell of a lot more fun than mine was. Any how a ship full of Vulcans is not cool for a woman my age. No fun at all. The job was ok, but off duty hours were long and ….well, let’s just say I read a lot. Alone. So do we have a deal?” She looked at him sternly, mock confrontation, attempting to hide the smile that was creeping up.

"Uncle? I've never heard that expression ma-" he broke off, sensing she was serious. "I'm not Human, not fully anyways...my dad was Human." He hesitated, drawing in a deep breath. "I've never physically attended the academy, I was sent away from earth by my dad because he thought it wasn't safe for me to be there. You see..my stepmom...she's tried to kill me." He abruptly fell silent, clamping his jaws together with a loud 'clack' and sighed. "I'm a pilot," he continued after a few seconds, "and there's nothing wrong with Vulcans...and sure...as long as you call me by my name... it's Wintrow, or Win if you like."

“Awesome! So who’s your mentor? You must have someone who is responsible for your curricular activities. You’re really lucky to get to do this in space. And if you want more EVA training, you seemed real nervous there, I’ll be more than happy to teach you. We can do some holodeck training, and perhaps some real time training when it’s appropriate. We’ll need to wait until this situation is over of course, but it would still be a good thing to get some training on that. If there's any other classes you need my help with, feel free to ask, I was pretty good in school and should be able to help at least a little.” Her smile had come back as quickly as it had come, and it was becoming rather obvious that is a quasi-permanent feature of this young woman.

Forcing a deep breath in, she exhaled slowly. She gestured at the room in one big motion, seeming somewhat calmer. “Welcome to your new home. I hope you enjoy it. I know I’m glad to have some company.” Moving out of the way to give him some space, she went to her dresser and gathered a fresh uniform.

Watching her go, Wintrow smiled. "I believe my mentor is Chief Quinn but I'm not quite sure. I haven't been able to get a word with him so far, but I'm sure he'll have time for me sometime in the future. I do get some of my classes via messages. And right now I am going through sessions with Taliesin and S'rivas..." He shuddered. "They are...scary..."

“Really? I found our boatswain to be very efficient.” She smiled thoughtfully. “ He was a great help to me during the games. I was very grateful. I haven’t really met Taliesin or Quinn though. But I’m sure they are both very capable and have much to teach you.” Squirming into her outfit, she observed her new companion.

Wintrow shook his head. "For some reason, they seem to enjoy shouting at me, though I really don't understand why." The young man seemed to withdraw at the memory of being humiliated by the two. It still didn't sit well with him. "I'm sorry...it's just that...I don't take being shouted at or being belittled and treated like an errant child very well. I'm not a child but I still get treated as one."

“Then don’t let them!” She said this as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Obviously for some people it’s more difficult than others, but the more you learn to stand up for yourself, the easier it will become. And then you can fight back!” Bringing her arms closer to her body, she mimicked exaggeratedly, boxing moves she had seen once. Beaming him a smile she continued. “Pranks are the best revenge when needed. Non-lethal, shows the other party you will retaliate, but also that you have a sense of humor. We would need to observe them, get a sense of their patterns and act accordingly.”

"I'm not sure that I do," Wintrow murmured, "have a sense of humour I mean...I've never been able to enjoy much of anything as a child. The only thing I could enjoy was my boat."

"Ha! Then we'll have to work on that. Anything can be learned if you want to. Besides, we all want to have some fun, even if you don't know how." She gave him her famous Cheshire Cat grin. "I shall make you a fun ball of joy. Given that you want to." She winked at him, still grinning.

"A what?" Wintrow looked up, question in his darker than dark blue eyes. "What is a fun ball of joy?"

Giggling, Marika leaned in, her arm stretched out as if to touch him, but stopped herself. "You'll just have to find out, now won't you?" Jumping a step back she beamed him a smile jumped a few times while spinning around in place.

"You're an excited one aren't you?" Wintrow chuckled as he watched her, "very opposite from that shuttle mission.... you're not using anything are you?"

"Pleeeease! As if. I think my mind would implode. No no no. I'm just me. I know how to reign it in when it's time for the job to get done. I just have to let it out later otherwise I go BOOM!" She threw herself in front of Wintrow as she shouted her last bit, and giggled some more.

Startled, Wintrow jumped back, then knelt down, leaning over her. "Interesting," he commented, "a right gummy bear for a room mate....maybe...you have some of that gummy berry juice for me too? I'm told that I need to lighten up..."

Her grin turned to a smirk as she locked her eyes on his. "Awesome! Always have plenty." She wiggled her eyebrows and whispered; "But I only share it with people I really like." She burst out laughing, refraining very hard not to tickle him, or kiss him, or worse.

"Hmm...." Wintrow shrugged and sat back, crossing his legs and arms as he studied her. "You know...I don't know what to make of you, you're so different than my last roommate...."

Marika shrugged lightly and observed him, almost calmly. "That's why it's fun to get to know people. They tend to be full of surprises. And coping with changes in scenery is half the fun no?"

"I don't really like surprises, as they often tend to be bad," the young man answered softly, "I've had too many bad surprises. But...I sense no malice from you, so it's good...right?"

Nodding vigorously several times, she smiled warmly at him. "You've nothing to fear from me sweet prince." Her gaze was gentle, some might say loving.

"Why do you call me that?" He averted his gaze a little, just not looking at her. "I'm not royal....I'm very very simple...my dad was a diplomat, I never knew my mom. I was raised on a farm of sorts...never really left it either...I wasn't allowed to."

"It's simply what came to me naturally when I saw you." She shrugged lightly and kept looking at him with that same considerate and gentle smile. "That's what you feel like to me, for better or worse." She winked, but it felt more then just playful. "Besides, where you were raised or born, does not have to define who you are, or who you will become. In the end, our true selves only ask to be let out." Her speech pattern having actually slowed, her words were soft and well spoken, her tone one that could bring comfort.

"But who am I?" It was such a simple question, to which Wintrow had yet to discover the answer. "I was raised Human, but I'm not..." He shook his head, turning his eyes back to look at her again. "All I know, is I love to fly, and it's something I'm good at. Like...second nature? Like I was born to fly."

Her head dropped to the right as she considered his question. "Well, that's a good start. And perhaps you were born to fly. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Who and what you are will come out on it's own. Enjoy what you do know, and don't be afraid to sample the opportunities the universe offers. One needn't know everything to enjoy what he does." She laughed and dropped to the floor. "Look at me getting all philosophical."

"Nothing wrong with being philosophical," Wintrow countered softly. "It can be rather refreshing. So...what do you do for fun, apart from impersonating a Gummy Bear?"

"I read a lot, or have the computer read to me. I play some music." She points to the Chinese Erhu and Bajoran Oboe in the corner. "Other then that, just learning, stuff, anything really. Talk with people when they are willing. I'm not difficult to amuse really. What about you?" She glanced at the guitar case, knowing at least one answer to her question.

Following her gaze, he smiled. "I play too...guitar and piano, and I love to go sailing. In a real boat if i get the chance, otherwise on the holodeck. I have my own boat back in Scotland, but for now...I can't go back to earth, its not safe." He reached out towards the case and pulled out his guitar. Using his right hand to chord, he strummed the fingers of his left hand over the strings. "It needs tuning though...it doesn't sound quite as it should."

"Nice! You'll have to take me sailing one day then. I've been by the sea, but that's about it. Although this was this one time where I decided I wanted to learn how to surf, only to realize, San-Francisco bay, not really a good place for that. I ended up being rescued by the coast guard. That was a lot of fun." She grinned once more as she watched him pluck the strings.

"I've never been surfing either," Wintrow admitted, "but I heard the best place to do that is Hawaii, or the Australian Gold Coast." As he considered the idea, he continued to tune the guitar, then smoothly proceeded into playing something soft and cheerful. To those who knew him, if he was openly playing it was a sign he was comfortable and at ease. "But I could take you sailing once the holodecks are fixed, if you like."

"Yeeeees!" The young Bajoran clapped her hands enthusiastically "I'd love that." Her mind raced as she observed him. Part of her wanted to keep talking, and another one was telling her to shut it and let him do the talking. Besides, it wasn't like he was unpleasant to contemplate.

"I can tell..." Wintrow smiled though his cheeks coloured a little. "I don't intend to," he added hastily, "I just can...it's not like I'm trying to know what you're feeling...but I can't filter it out. I'm sorry."

"Riiiight! Half Betazoid. That's awesome. Must be handy. I would looooove to be able to know what people felt... no.... no I wouldn't not in the least." She giggled and stuck out her tongue a little. "Half of my fun would just go poof. But it's still handy. Just not for me. How do you feel about it?" Her head shifted to the left, still smiling, awaiting his answer.

"I don't know, I didn't know any of this until a few years ago....I never knew my mom was Betazoid until my first medical exam back on the Sarek...I was seventeen....but I've always had this odd sense of things that no-one could explain. Now, I think it's useful, especially when out there, flying into the unknown. I always know when there's danger, somehow."

"That's awesome! Super handy! Staying alive is primordial to pretty much everything else. Although one could argue that death is just another step, but I won't know until I get there, and I'd much like to do a lot of fun things before I get to that point." She smiled and nodded as she spoke. "Must be useful with the ladies too! Getting a sense whether you're doing the right thing or not. Uh? huh?" She winked at him and giggled at her own silliness.

"I wouldn't know..." WIntrow sighed. "I did get almost killed a few times, and that sure isn't fun.....and as for ladies I honestly don't know. I've never been with a woman before.." He licked his lips, his cheeks now burning scarlet. "I had a boyfriend on my prior assignment...and I've had...somewhat romantic interactions here with another Betazoid but nothing came of that...save for..once..." His last words were stammered out in embarrassment.

"Ladies, men, bi-gendered species, it doesn't matter." She wiggled her hands and fingers in an odd dance. "All I meant is that it must be useful to feel when you've said the wrong things, or said the right thing. Must help with the navigation of unknown waters, so to speak." There was a glitter in her eyes as she spoke, and he could surely tell she was being playful. "And one should'nt limit these things to physical interactions. Life in it's infinite diversities offers us so many levels of possible relationships that the words friend and romance can have a thousand different meanings to the same person depending on who he or she is looking at."

"I've actually never looked at it that way...with Shron, I don't even remember how we got together, only that we did and Ells..he was there when I just needed someone to hold me and offer comfort. To me, that meant a lot even if possibly to him it didn't. As I said, I have issues with being touched, and that can be very...annoying. I'm working on it though I'm still figuring out on how to do this....holograms aren't people..."

"Then work on it until you are comfortable. And if you never are, that's ok too. But if you want something to change, then do so. It'll take time, but life itself is a work in progress. And besides, isn't that why we are out here in between the stars?" Her eyes almost glazed over as she spoke, and while her tone was excited, it wasn't the barrage of words it often was.

"To learn about ourselves. To better ourselves. As we fly across the universe in an attempt to better understand it, do we not better understand ourselves. Aren't we pushing the limits of what it means to be us? As we stretch the limits of our minds and bodies, do we not learn what it truly means to be alive?"

A fit of giggles hit her, as she let her back fall to the floor. Looking up at the ceiling she grinned like a mad woman. "I haven't had the opportunity to talk like this with someone in a while. My best friend stayed on Bajor, and she was the only one I know who could weather my windy attitude."

"Then you can be the wind in my sails," Wintrow chuckled, turning his head to look at her, "because wind is good. Just don't become a whirlwind hm?"

Still on the floor, she turned her head to him and winked. She giggled playfully some more. “No promises. As you’ve noticed it’s easy for me to get carried away.” She grinned and propped up on one elbow. “But I won’t sink you, promise.” Letting herself back down she stared at the ceiling for a moment. “But I just might bring you along for a fun ride eh?”

"I could use some fun," Wintrow replied quietly, "so I'd welcome that."

Marika simply smiled at the young man. This was going to be awesome.


OFF:
Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
Support craft Pilot
USS Galileo
pnpc T'Vanna/Tyrion

Ensign Lenaris Marika
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
USS Galileo

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