Scenery

Posted on 27 Jan 2016 @ 5:27am by Ensign James Langley & Lieutenant JG Lenaris Marika

1,831 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo; Deck 2; Mess Hall
Timeline: MD13; 1200 Hours

ON:

The crew of the USS Galileo was on edge. James had heard about what happened to the vessel and it didn't take long after arriving aboard for him to see the real effects of what had happened. It all felt a bit inhospitable. Like he, himself, was viewed as an intruder. Or at least it felt that way. Maybe it'd just take some time. And so he decided it'd be best to just get comfortable in the mess hall and have a bit of quiet time without interrupting anyone else aboard.

He had been sitting at one of the tables towards the interior portion of the ship with a large canvas and a rather impressive array of oil pastels laid out in front of him. The whole time he had gone undisturbed save for a few passersby looking over his shoulder to see the partly finished depiction of a window view aboard the vessel. It all looked astoundingly normal for a standard artist. That was until he opened up the lead-lined wooden box and donned some impressive looking gloves. That was astoundingly abnormal for an artist using pastels.

Stepping in just as the man was donning his impressive gloves, Marika found her feet dragging her to him. What the stranger could be doing with his oils that required such gloves was a mystery she was more than interested to know the answer to. Stopping a few steps away as to not disturb the man, she took the time to observe the painting intensely. First glance didn't reveal anything peculiar. Which only made the present situation even more interesting. Forcing herself to as much calm as she could muster, she stood in relative silence as she waited for him to continue.

James continued his work unabated. He had started one of the most important parts of his artwork and now it was as though all he could see was the image he was portraying upon the paper. Just beyond the borders of that viewport window was nothing, as though it was the only part of the ship still in existence. The ship could have vaporized around him but so long as that one portion was still intact he would have been none the wiser.

He took a translucent oil crayon from the book and ran a smudge stick across it and then proceeded to make small streaks within the black space outside the viewport, but unlike the moving stars he had depicted the streaks he was now making were completely invisible. Save for the fact that it was obvious he had used a bit of oil off of the stick an onlooker could tell no difference from the scene now to what it was a minute ago.

Even more curious now, Marika took a nearby chair and sat on it, back facing front, her arms resting on it's back. She wondered what all this transparent oil was all about, but figured she'd find out soon enough. In any case, it was always great to see an artist at work.

It took some time, but after a while James was finished, or was at least ready to take a break. He returned the contents to their cases and closed them and then removed the gloves he had worn. With nothing left to do for the moment he just sat there and stared at the artwork with a woeful sigh. It looked like he was looking deeper into the picture than a person possibly could. As though he were reading its essence. But as he looked deeper and deeper instead of the expected look of happiness and contentment he instead looked sorrowful. As though even as he looked to the deepest depths of the painting he could still not see what he wanted to see.

It must have looked strange, the skilled artist staring at his art with a glazed over look in his eyes that seemed so saddened by the finished product. He had absolutely no idea he was being watched, but if he did he would have likened himself to part of the image itself. But then again artists always did think that way. Like everything was just one big work of art. His stillness made him look as though he were a painting staring at a painting. Perhaps another level of the art he had just created.

"My mother always said, that once you're done, you should walk away. What you've made cannot be appreciated by yourself until you've seen someone else's lawn." Smiling at the man even though his back was turned to him, Marika got up from her chair and walked slowly to him. "Of course she was a landscape artist and not a painter, but I do believe it still applied."

The voice from behind James quickly broke his focus, but it was a welcomed distraction. He turned himself in his chair to face the approaching woman and gave her an inviting smile. “Ah! What doth approach me? Another artist?”

All smiles and joyful demeanor, Marika quickly answered. "I like to see myself that way. Although my brush is the Ehru, and my canvas is any room with sufficient acoustic properties." Looking intently at the painting, Marika noted the qualities of the paint, the canvas and the overall texture. Turning back to James, she grinned and offered her hand. "Lenaris Marika. But please call me Marika." She wiggled her creased nose in quite a cute manner as she offered her name and hand.

“James Langley,” the namesake replied as he reached out and grasped her hand with a color-smeared hand of his own. “But James will do just fine. Would you care to take a seat? The table's a bit of a mess but I can move the paper and pastels without much effort.”

Grabbing the chair she had previsouly occupied, she brought it closer and once again sat astride it, resting her arms on it's back. "You smell new. Where are you from?"

“Earth,” James stated with a bit of a shrug. “I know. Pretty cliché, huh? A human from Earth in this day and age? One must wonder if those whose ancestors stayed in place after so many generations of travel through the cosmos are actually fit to be aboard a starship at all. I should probably be harvesting coffee beans in the warm Hawaiian sun right now.”

"Hawaii! Wanted to go there when I was on Earth... well to be honest I wanted to go everywhere. But I wanted to surf soooo bad. But instead I ended up surfing in San Francisco Bay... not my best idea. Then again I'm sure the water rescue team still talks about it. One of the guys on it was soooo sweet. And very cute. I wonder what he's been up to. Surely has a spouse by now. So why coffee beans?" Giving him one of her signature 'I'll shut up and listen' smile, she turned her head to him and balanced her chair on the two left legs.

“It was the first thing Hawaiian I could think of.” What a let down that must have been for the obviously interested girl. No interesting backstory. No long lineage of successful coffee roasting. Just a random thought. But the least he could do would be to elaborate on the statement. He at least owed her that. “Hawaii is known for its great coffee, you know. The best, I say. Most of the others are shit. Some literally.”

"Ah! Coffee! I love coffee. But I learned early on that if I wish to have people around me, it's best I not partake." Grinning and giggling, Marika jumped up and grabbed the Lieutenant's hand. "Come! There's a place in the arboretum I want to show you. It has one of the most peculiar angles I've had the pleasure of placing myself in."

James allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet by the woman. He had immediately gotten the feeling that resistance to this person's pull would have been futile for the fact that there would probably be no way to counteract her spontaneous energy. Instead he simply followed her lead as curiosity seemed to get the better of him. “Peculiar angles of pleasureful bodily placement? Do I dare ask what for,” he questioned in an obviously cheeky manner.

Pulling him along the young Bajoran giggled some more. "Many things I'm sure, but I'm pretty sure attempting whatever you're trying not to imply too loudly would be trying at best, and mostly end up with several lacerations." Turning her head around long enough to stick her tongue out at him she half walked half jumped out the door and into the corridor. "Then again, you could always try and let me know how it turns out."

“You had me up until 'lacerations,'” James called out as he attempted to keep up with the spritey Bajoran. It seemed for a moment that she would start bouncing off the walls like a rubber ball and that alone almost made it difficult for him to follow her. Just what did she have in store? “So may I ask why we are heading to the arboretum, or is this going to be some sort of surprise?”

A simple giggle was given as an answer as she rushed them across the corridors and into the arboretum. Once there, she took to the left and hugged the wall until they reached a large rock, who brilliantly hid an access panel. Letting go of his hand so they could climb, Marika entered with practiced ease.

From there they entered, and climbed for a bit, until they reached another hatch, which they exited. A long rail reached across the arboretum and gave them a birds eye view of the whole area. "We're just above the holographic sky. It's maintenance space really, which makes it an ideal place to set up. Careful with your step. The railing is all anti slippery patterns and such. If you don't pull your feet off the ground enough, you might trip."

Grabbing hold of his hand once more, she brought him nearly half way through and stopped, looking down. "One of my favorite views."

It had better have been. The effort was certainly befitting of a grand payoff and after a moment or two of readjusting himself after all the twists and turns he had to make to get there James was able to appreciate the scenery bellow. “Well,” he began, looking first at Marika and then down to the arboretum below. “It is a lovely view, but I have to ask, how did you come across it? Maintenance duties? Or perhaps a sense of adventure?”

Marika's eyes brightened with mischief as a coy smile came across her face. "Well! that's a funny story actually..."

Oh boy...

[OFF]

Ensign James Langley
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo
PNPC played by Jynn

&

Ensign Lenaris Marika
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
USS Galileo

RSS Feed