A Deliberate Dinner
Posted on Thu Aug 15th, 2019 @ 4:15pm by Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna & Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Fri Aug 16th, 2019 @ 10:58pm
4,396 words; about a 22 minute read
Mission:
Episode 8 - The Silence
Location: Jayna's Quarters - Deck 3 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD001 1930 hrs
Jayna already wanted to see Neil again. After the meeting in intel, she had a reason, even if she couldn't divulge it. It gave her the impetus to make an origami bulldog in Marine Corps blue and send it, along with a bottle of bourbon and a note inviting Neil to dinner. This time, it would be official so she could actually plan something.
Neil had been surprised by the gifts and wondered at Jayna's tenacity. Still, he was enjoying sharing meals with someone and it was...different...having women pursue him.
So, he'd trotted out another set of civvies, this time a black on black pinstriped button down shirt, black chinos, boots and belt. He'd also, after receiving the bulldog, he'd given it some thought and dug through his things until he found the last bit of wood carving he'd done and took it along.
He arrived, paused to give himself the once over and shook his head, then hit the annunciator.
Jayna had chosen to wear her leather skirt and vest, not wanting to dress too fancy or too casual. The table was set and the food was waiting to be put on the grill.
She was checking to make sure everything was ready when she heard the door. "Come in," she called, turning to greet Neil.
He walked into her quarters and smiled when he saw her, "You look great," he said. "Thanks for the invitation. I wasn't sure what might be a thank you, so after I dug this out after the last time we talked. It's been just sitting in my foot locker so I thought you might like to have it." He awkwardly held the duck out and bit at the inside of his mouth, wondering what was wrong with him.
She took the duck and looked it over. It looked like it had a mask, perfect for someone in intelligence. "I love it. Thank you." She leaned up and kissed him. "I have just the place for it, too." She put it on a shelf in the bedroom, where it sat beside some old books she'd picked up in an antiques store. When she returned, she paused, feeling the butterflies that always came when she saw Neil. "Would you like a drink before dinner?"
He watched her disappear into her bedroom and then come back and smiled as he debated which view he liked better. "A drink would be great," he said, letting his eyes wander over her briefly before meeting hers. "And I'm glad you like the duck. I finished painting it just after I came aboard, but I carved it during a two month tour on a listening post in Romulan territory."
"It's very good." She held his gaze a moment longer than she probably should have. "Have a seat. I'll be right back." She turned to get the drinks and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She returned a moment later and handed him a glass before sitting down.
Neil again enjoyed watching her come and go, still debating with himself as she sat. "Thanks for the bulldog and the bourbon too," he said raising his glass toward her before taking drink.
"You're welcome." She raised her glass in a return salute. "I'm glad you were able to join me." She took a sip of her drink. "How are you settling in to your new responsibilities?"
Neil chuckled, "There are always growing pains. The Fleet isn't the corp and I have to constantly remind myself of that. Though I did meet your sister in one of my walking tours."
"Really? She didn't tell me." Although it didn't surprise her. She smiled apologetically. "I should have warned you were were identical twins. That's one of the reasons Starfleet split us up."
Neil chuckled then and half leered at her. "Really. Identical. I can imagine that might be a lot of trouble..."
"For others. Especially if they don't know us. Our personalities and style of dress are very different." She gave him a wicked grin. "If you need help, I'm generally the one in the leather and lace."
"Generally? What about the rest of the time," he bantered, taking a sip from his glass.
"Sometimes I have to wear a uniform." She took a sip of her drink before adding, "And sometimes not." She took another drink, her eyes dancing as she looked at him over the rim of her glass. "Steak medium rare?" she asked to confirm that she remembered correctly.
Neil's lips nearly broke into laughter as she diverted the conversation and he nodded. "Yes please."
She leaned forward and whispered, "Anticipation," before standing up and going to the kitchen to put the steaks on.
He deliberately glanced at her décolletage and chuckled at her words as she went into the kitchen. "That's a good word for...the steaks," he said agreeably, taking another drink from his glass. "So you and your sister differ in important ways. If you took to cooking, does that mean she replicates?"
She laughed in appreciation of his wordplay. "She cooks stir fry. She likes to consider herself the older, more responsible sister." She put on an apron before putting the marinated stakes and vegetables on the grill.
"So by correlation, that would make you the irresponsible one?" Neil fished, twisting and putting his feet up on another chair, careful to keep his boots off the furniture.
"No, I consider myself the rebel," she countered. "She used to be a rebel, too, before Starfleet. Now she's studying under a Shaolin Master and has taken on some of their manners." She checked the steaks and flipped them, then turned the vegetables. "I take more risks, but in my job I have to."
"That's why we get hazard pay," Neil agreed. "But then, according to my psych profile, it was more or less a given, though they did try to recruit me into the Fleet at one point," he told her. As she flipped the steaks, his mouth had begun to water and he cast a disparaging eye toward his stomach as it rumbled awake.
"I understand. I've always gravitated toward information gathering. I was usually the one who broke into computers while she did the fighting." She turned off the grill, put the food on two plates and took them to the table.
He thanked her as she sat the plate in front of him and he smiled, "That smells wonderful." He plucked up utensils and dropped the napkin into his lap as he looked at her, "For me, I think the recruiter thought I'd make a fair engineer. I believe those were the exact words, come to think of it. But..." he shrugged. "When the old man found out, he was amused....there was no way his boy would be anything but a Marine."
She shook her head. "You make a fine Marine, but I think you would have been a good engineer, too, if you set your mind to it." She took a bite of steak and thought for a minute. "I don't know if I would have gravitated to anything else. I never really had a choice." She shrugged. "I'm sure we had some talent for it, but we were taught practically from birth how to get information and how to keep secrets."
Neil dug in, spearing steak and vegetables and busily chewed as she spoke. After getting couple of forkfuls down, he said "Different reasons, but I've been training to be a Marine since I could stand. We schooled at home and dad, and grandpa for that matter, ran it like boot camp. Not the neck or nothing that you experienced, granted. But, there really wasn't ever a choice. The old man almost had a fit when I put on the Lieutenant bars."
She shook her head. "Different reasons, similar outcome. Still, being a Marine suits you." She focused on her food for a minute. "Your father and grandfather were Marines. What about the rest of your family?"
He'd glutted for the first few bites, and now slowed and took another drink from his glass. "I think I mentioned my brother the engineer and my sister the diplomat...dad's retired. Mom still lives in St. Johns near her parents and siblings...they're involved in small businesses in the area and aquaculture. Her father, George, has fished for ever...if I'd had to chose something else, I might have went that way. I liked being out on the ocean."
He had mentioned his brother and sister. "Really? Fascinating. I don't think I've been on the ocean. On a beach, yes, but never on the ocean proper. I went from the forests of Bajor to space. For you, what is the appeal of being on the ocean?"
"The quiet of it all. You focus on your work and daydream at your own peril. The ocean's still unpredictable, despite technology. And being out there, out of sight of land you...can see how powerful nature is...the rawness of it. You put in a long day and it leaves you bone tired." He smiled then, "There's a lot, I suppose. Maybe it's something for the future. A good boat and plenty of days of solitude and quiet."
She nodded, understanding what he meant. "Quiet has a definite appeal." She thought of the woods just before a storm when it seemed like all the world was holding its breath. She hadn't thought of that for a while.
Neil saw her eyes and smiled, so you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. Where were you just then?"
She blinked and looked at him. "The woods on Bajor when the sky was dark with thunderclouds and the silence felt like nature was holding its breath, waiting for the storm to break. I loved those moments and the feeling of anticipation." She smiled, remembering how it felt. "I would watch with my window open, listening. When I could, I'd go walking in the rain. Listening to you talk made me realize how long it's been."
He simply nodded. "Nice. Any reason not to go back there? Other than work?"
"At first, it was the memories. Then, I was busy. I've been back to the woods once or twice on the holodeck, but never during a storm." She looked at him. "What about you?"
"There were a couple of storms where I ended up lashed to a mast on lookout. I couldn't stand being below decks, riding it out blind so grandpa let me take the duty. Now I wonder if a fifteen year old adrenaline junkie riding out a storm on deck while said storm howled and scourged him...me was appropriate." He shook his head and took a few more bites of food, then gestured with the fork, "And no, I haven't been home for...eight years now I think."
"I'm sure you learned from that experience," she said after pausing to think about that fifteen-year-old kid and eating more of her meal. "I thought I could do anything at that age."
"I don't know about learned...," Neil considered as he toyed with filling his fork again," But nothing much scared me after that. Or rather, I knew how to deal with fear. Sometimes you just have to let it wash over you like a wave and deal..."
Then he took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. Finally, he could speak and said, "I know you had a rough childhood and got involved in things. But I'm hoping you had a bit of fun here and there...anything that stands out?"
She thought for a minute while she continued to eat. "There were times. Playing in the woods. Hiding from our parents so they would come find us. And then, when they couldn't, we would sneak up behind them and laugh. They'd take us back to our small home under a tree and we'd have baked apples. And the museums. I loved those. Jayde and I could never go together. Mother would take Jayde and I'd go with Dad." She smiled, looking at Neil. "Dad taught me all about computers, how to get into them without being noticed. We'd play games where he'd hide a file in a computer and I'd have to find it without setting off an alarm. Even though we had to be quiet, had to always be on the lookout for Cardassians, we did have some fun. Once they died...well...it wasn't quite the same."
"No, it wouldn't be," he nodded as he finished off his drink and fiddled with his fork. "I can't imagine and I won't claim I can."
She put a hand on his. "It's okay. I've learned to live with it, and there have been plenty of good things since then. Like meeting you." Her eyes met his for a moment, then she pulled her hand away and changed the subject. "Jayde and I were on Empok Nor a few days ago. We ran into someone who said the station has changed recently. She said there are more military personnel and fewer civilians. She blamed us for driving them off, but I don't know. I felt something...odd." She shook her head. "With your recent training and talking with the Marines on the station, have you noticed anything?" She chuckled. "I guess I'm just wondering if it's all in my head."
Neil raised an eyebrow at that and shook his head. "Not too hard to figure out. Animals always can sense when a storms coming. The Federation doesn't send a Brigade just anyplace. Marines make people nervous. Especially those who don't want a lot of scrutiny on what they're doing? Given what the Pioneer's been through and the fact she lost against the Maquis and Obsidian Order over Cardassia Prime...yeah, things have changed and there's no telling if it will reach here."
That was a valid point. She would have to see if there was any correlation between the battle and the changes on Empok Nor. "Have you heard any scuttlebutt?" she asked.
Neil gave her a glance at that and shook his head. "I know intel asked me a bunch of questions about the torturer I met on Cardassia Prime and that's how they traced things back to the Obsidian Order. I know they're working some angle there, but I've been a bit busy for things that aren't necessary now. How about you?"
"It's more that one comment, and then a feeling." She shrugged. "Nothing I can put a finger on."
"You. Personally? I'd have thought intel would be driving hard at this. The S2 had a fairly concerned look on her face when I spoke to her," Neil thought back through hazy recollections to that meeting but it was a bit of a blur.
"It's not an intel investigation. My sister and I are going off a hunch. It's probalby nothing."
"Off reservation, but you've brought your sister into it," Neil said, thoughtfully. "Careful, Ms. Masters usually likes to be kept in the loop about anything like that and can get a bit sore...but not my department," he ended off with a chuckle.
She couldn't tell him she'd already talked to Masters. "I will. " Changing the subject, she grinned mischievously. "So, going back to your previous comment, you're telling me I'm an animal?"
"Yes," he said automatically. "You were just telling me about running naked through the woods and as to the station, you're not one of the herd."
"At least I'm alone in my field." She finished her drink. "And I never said I was naked. Well, not when anyone could notice." It was just the once--or was it twice?--when she went skinny dipping in the moonlight.
He chuckled, "You're sure no one was around? There might have been Marines about and you'd have never known. Perfect place to see if a team gets overly distracted..."
She laughed out loud at his comment. "I'll have to remember that next time you're on maneuvers." She shook her head. "Then again, I'm not sure I want a platoon of Marines telling me to put my hands up and get out of the water."
Neil joined in the laughter,"Jayna, we'd be in the water...the new suits have rebreathers. The hardest thing to get used to is controlling yourself...the suits servo's react to how much muscle force you use. It's...counterintuitive."
The mental image made her laugh harder. "Oh, my. That could be...awkward."
He nodded, chuckling. "Oh yeah...that's why training is done in very private, very open places...away from anything we can hurt. Then you get out of the suit and have to switch the thinking back...my brain hurts."
"I can imagine." She shook her head. "I don't envy you that." She stood and picked up her plate. "Are you done? Would you like another drink?"
He pushed his plate away and nodded, "I'd better stop. I've been eating too much lately and packing it on. There's way too many calories in the rations that went along with the stims and sleep aids. Another drink would be nice though, thanks."
She looked him over as she picked up his plate. "You look fine to me." She took the dishes into the kitchen and came back with the rest of the bottle. "I've got dessert, if you're interested."
"I can't turn down dessert," he sighed dramatically, "After that meal, I'll need a sugar rush."
"I think I can oblige." She set the bottle on the table and went back into the kitchen, returning with two servings of trifle and set them on the table. "I'm afraid this is one of my weaknesses." She filled their glasses and sat down, waiting to see if he liked it.
Flipping a spoon through his fingers as he eyed the desert, he dipped a spoonful of the custardy, creamy desert out and took a bite. "Rich," he said after tasting it. "It's very good. But I might need to beg for coffee after."
"It won't take much begging." She enjoyed his company and wouldn't mind an excuse to keep him around longer. She took a bite of her dessert. It was rich, which is why she didn't indulge very often. "What kind of desserts do you like?" she asked, scooping up a large strawberry.
He shrugged, chuckling. "I tend not to eat them very often. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I guess. Though if pressed, I suppose I'd say that mother used to make a fairly mean cherry pie."
"Cherry pie? I don't think I've had that. Apple, yes, but not cherry." She took another bite of her dessert. "I generally have fruit, but once in a while, I like to indulge." She took another bite and finished. "How do you like your coffee? Black?"
"After, this? Definitely," Neil confirmed. "And in case I didn't mention it, thanks for the meal. It was great." He shifted in his seat and slouched. "So, how's the intel business these days. Lots of cloaks and daggers?"
"Too many cloaks, not enough daggers," she quipped, taking the dishes back to the kitchen. "But then, I happen to like daggers. Have a seat on the couch. I'll be right out."
Neil obeyed and settle into the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him, slouching again. "That's fairly generic. So all's more or less quiet?"
"While we're on shore leave, yes," she said, coming back with two cups of coffee. She set them on the coffee table and sat at an angle so she could look at Neil. "But then, I doubt intel is ever really quiet. What about the Cure?"
"Hip deep into training on the Mark IV's. That will keep us busy, training wise, for a couple of months. Familiarization training...plus all the other proficiency training we do." Neil accepted the coffee cup with a smile of thanks and took a sip. "Some day we may even be well behaved, with all this training."
"Well-trained does not equal well-behaved," she teased. "But familiarizing yourself with new tech is always good." She watched him for a long moment, appreciating the way he looked. She liked him in his uniform, but he looked good in civilian clothes, too. Maybe she'd draw him on a sailing ship, looking out to sea...
"No it doesn't" he agreed. "But then Marines have a reputation to uphold." When he caught her gaze lingering on him, he asked, "Do I have something in my teeth?"
"No." She shook her head and looked away. "I didn't mean to stare." Well, she did, but she wasn't going to admit it. She took a sip of her coffee and set it on the coffee table. "I was just thinking."
"Wanna share?" he asked, taking a drink from his cup.
She let out a slow breath. "You. Life. Opportunities. Sailing."
"Some deep thinking," he smiled. "What about sailing?"
She chuckled. "How you would look, standing on the bow of a sailing ship, facing an oncoming storm. I may have to draw that some day."
"I'd look very wet," he said dead pan. "And probably like I'd soiled myself. How long have you been drawing?"
She thought about it. "I don't remember. Since I was little. I'd draw what I saw for the others. It was easier to show them than explain. Now, I do it when something catches my fancy." She grinned wickedly. "Apparently right now it's you being wet."
Neil met her eyes and chuckled, "Personally, if it were a contest I think you'd win that one."
She held his gaze for a moment before adding, "Well, there's wet...and there's wet."
"Aye. Though from what I've heard, that's situational," he responded after a few beats. "I can attest to how wet it is lashed to a mast in a storm..."
"...Or standing in the woods when a storm breaks." She glanced at the print on her wall, then back to Neil.
"When you were naked," he nodded agreeably. "That would make a pretty picture out in the woods."
"Wood nymphs never run naked where they can be seen," she countered primly, but the impish twinkle in her eyes proved it was a facade. "Or admit that they did so."
He chuckled and closed his eyes momentarily, "No. I suppose not. Isn't that how they lured unsuspecting beings into the woods to have their ways with them?"
"We wood nymphs never disclose our secrets...unless we catch you in the woods," she replied blithely. "Or is it when you catch us? I never get that straight."
"Ahh," he said nodding as if understanding, "But don't you usually just run until you want to get caught?"
"Well..." She leaned closer to him and whispered. "That's a trade secret. You'd have to catch us to get the answer."
"Wait. Are the nymphs the ones that lead the poor unsuspecting slobs to their dooms?" Neil gave her a calculating look and then shifted on his seat toward the door.
She put a hand on his arm, laughing. "No, those are Siren. And they're in the sea."
"So we're back to the wet talk. And you sing, so..." he peered at her intently then, a grin stretching over his face.
She laughed. "I don't sit on rocks and lure men to their death, but I have been known to sing in the shower. And on tree branches. Not the same thing, though."
Neil looked into her eyes, tempted to make a comment about the shower and drew up short. He'd been doing that tonight and now he pointedly took Jayna's hand as things sifted through his mind. Finally, he said. "You know, I really want to slide over this couch and touch off more of those kisses like the one we shared in my quarters the other night."A hungry look entered his eyes as he admitted, "Follow through with more than that, really."
Then he sighed, "But, as much fun as that might be, it wouldn't be fair. I promise to be honest and to do that, I have to tell you that I keep seeing Tallida's face in my minds eye. So, I can't pretend, lie or do anything else but thank you for a wonderful evening. And for showing interest in a poor Marine...."
She looked at the image of the Bajoran woods for a long moment, wishing she could run there now and hide until the shattering pain in her heart eased. "I wish you could, too." She looked at him, fighting to keep from losing control. Still, she had to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I've had a feeling this was coming. You've been...different. I tried to pretend it wasn't there, but...well...we both know better." She bit her lip, the pain a momentary distraction. "Life is never what we want, or what we plan." At one point or another, she'd lost almost everything she cared for. Her parents, her sister, and now Neil. But then, she never really had Neil. "All we can do is follow our heart, even if it's not reciprocated." She stood and turned away from him, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her voice was raw with emotion. "Thank you for telling me."
He nodded even though she couldn't see it and pushed himself to his feet. Neil sighed quietly, laid a hand on her shoulder squeezing slightly and said, "I'll let myself out, Jayna. I'd love to talk again sometime, but...take care of yourself."
He started for the door, pausing as it opened and looked back at her. Then he stepped through and the doors slid shut behind him.
She nodded at his words. She didn't trust herself to speak. Later, when the pain eased, they could talk--would have to talk as they would eventually work together and she didn't want to lose him as a friend. For a moment she stood still. Then her shoulders began to shake. She wanted him to be happy, but damn it hurt.
A Joint Post By
Warrant Officer Mira Jayna
Infiltration Specialist, USS Pioneer
Captain Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer
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