Sorry To Interrupt
Posted on Thu Oct 17th, 2019 @ 2:35pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sofia Cipriani
Edited on on Thu Oct 17th, 2019 @ 4:34pm
1,859 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 8 - The Silence
Location: Price Quarters
Timeline: MD003 0130 Hours
It felt like she'd been walking the corridors for hours. Sofia was in a daze and had never really understood the 'out of body' experience some people spoke of. This time she kind of got it, it was like she was floating above herself, watching a lost puppy try and find it's way home.
That's where she thought she was going, back to her quarters. She pressed the door to get in but it didn't budge. Looking at the panel she gave it her best sober attempt at pushing the button to let her in, again no joy.
Hitting the door, "Lucy! Please let me in! The door is stuck again!" she yelled through the door slurring a little. Yes she was drunk, and upset and her emotional state could be categorised as manic but still 0130 was not the time to be roaming the corridors of a small ship, people would talk.
The door opened go reveal a short, bearded man in his underwear. He had a hairy chest and dull green eyes. He recognized Sofia and knew she was seeing his roomate, but they'd never met before. He looked at her, confused.
"What...Jesus, are you alright?" He asked, noticing her drunkenness. "I mean...uhm....it looks like you might be looking for Khalon?"
Sofia wiped her eyes and looked again at the mass of a man before her. "I am soo sorry." She said placing her hand on his chest, her fingers getting wrapped up in the hair that adorned him. "I thought this was my quarters..." she looked down at his underwear and stared for a moment, her eyes unblinking. "Did I wake you?" she blurted out and scrunched up her eyes. He was showing more than she needed to see.
"Uh..." he began, looking at her, still rather dazed himself. "No..no, I was just sittin on the couch eating chips."
He licked his bottom lip uncomfortably, realizing he probably should have dressed before opening the door. He looked at the drunken girl with a sort of unsuspecting amazement, particularly at her droopy expression and her disheveled hair. He stepped aside slightly. "K's sleeping in his room. You can probably see if you can wake him up."
Sofia peered into the quarters, noting a packet of potato chips on the table. She couldn't help but think it was odd to be up at this hour eating chips but each to their own.
She saw Khalon's door and she nodded to herself, trying her best to remain composed. Smiling rather gingerly at the man as she slipped by him, part of her feeling embarrassed at her sudden arrival and look. Knocking the door lightly she half hoped he was catatonic...
After several pregnant seconds, the door to Khalon's bedroom slid open to reveal him standing in a pair boxer, though this sight was far more pleasing to the eye than his roomate's appearance. His hand found the back of his neck and he scratched it sleepily. The fiest thing he saw was a drunken looking girl in his doorway; it took him several seconds to notice it was Sofia.
"Sof?" He asked confusedly, but when we saw the pained, almost stunned look on her face, his own flashed worry. "What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"
She fell into him, her arms wrapped round his middle. He was warm, just out of bed and looking worriedly confused. Sofia cried softly. "My dad died..." she said quietly through sniffles as she hugged him closer, tighter.
Worry creeped on Khalon's face as he wrapped his arms around her. The movement was more instinct than anyone else. They hadn't known each other for long, but already they were very close and the fact she eventually made her way here, drunk as she was, meant something. He looked past her to his half concerned roomate who was looking at them while resuming his work on his bag of chips. He walked back into his room with Sofia in his arms and allowed the door to close.
Walking her over to the bed, he sat her down on the edge and wordlessly walked out into the living room.
Sofia just sat there, she had let him move her like a doll playing make believe but she truly had no energy to do much of anything. She stared at the floor, her mind abuzz with thought and grief, and began to shake a little. This was her come down, the shock beginning to settle as she stopped.
The doors opened again and Khalon entered with a glass of water. Sitting down next to Sofia, he offered it to her with a frown.
"Sof, I'm so sorry about your Dad." He said, genuineness in his voice. "I don't know what to say."
She took the glass, it shaking in her hands as she tried to take a sip. "T-thank you." she replied looking down at her feet. "Sorry, I don't know why I came here."
"I'm glad you came here. It looks like you shoulda come here first." He said, offering a small smile as he looked her over. His mind drifted back to the night they'd shared before. There had been kisses and sweet moans as they'd rolled together on his bed. He thought about the feeling of her skin on his and the sensation of her smallness wrapped around him.
He snapped back, realizing he had drifted. Now was very different from then and he knew it. Then she had been happy, even excited and free, now she was a prisoner of her grief. He looked at her, feeling uncertain about his next words.
"Do you want to talk about it? About him?"
"I wish he was here..." she said plainly. "I feel so tired. Maybe I should have came here first... I shouted at Chloe, looked like a mess walking the halls. Like a lost little Italian stray." she added with a laugh of exhaustion.
"Well, you're here now." He said with assurance in his voice. He knew he was no substitute for her father, but he still felt rather important. He put one hand on her knee and wrapped his other arm around her. "What was he like?"
Sofia could feel the warmth of his hand on her knee, he was always so warm. Like a big Human water bottle. "He was full of life, full of love. He was a carpenter, made beautiful things for our home and village and we would spend hours talking about family and the world. He was an amazing person. It's so painful to know he's not here anymore."
Khalon remembered the only person who was close to him he'd ever lost: his grandfather. The man had been a rock for him and his father, so it was a shock to Khalon when he was found dead. He frowned, thinking about that pain, and then looked back at Sofia.
"I'm sorry I couldn't meet him. He seems like he was a great man." He said. "He must have been proud of you."
"I don't know..." she said sadly. "I think I kind of disappointed him leaving home. I know he wanted me to stay but I had to be the only one to leave. I'm the only Cipriani in our family to leave the solar system." she finished, a single tear rolling down her already beaten face.
"That sounds like an achievement to me." Khalon said, looking confused. His family was different; Starfleet was all but expected to be his career path. Still, he wouldn't want something like that pointed out if he were in pain. He pulled her a little closer, wanting to make her experience with him a relief from the stresses of the outside world.
"It's not your fault, Sof. You were only living your life when you joined the Fleet. Nobody is meant to choose the exact path their parents want for them. I'm sure he was way more proud of you than you know." He said, realizing again that he himself had done exactly what his father expected him to do.
Sofia felt him hugging her tightly. She felt a little guilty for letting out a little smile, but this was nice and she felt safe. "I hope so... we all just want our parents to be proud of us." she said trailing off. She could feel her eyes becoming heavy, she had finally settled down with her high level of emotion coming down. For now she was nuzzled into Khalon's chest, she often felt like a miniature around him but that was the case with most people she found.
"How about I find you some clothes and you stay here with me tonight?" He asked, looking down at her flowing hair from his position above her in the hug. The invitation seemed, for once, completely innocent. She would have no idea how unusual this relationship was for him. He was a player through and through; a heart breaker. Not hers, though. He didn't ever want to break her heart.
"My shirts might be a little big on you, though." He continued.
"That sounds nice." she replied sniffling a little. "Thank you, Khalon." she said as he stood, holding onto his hand a little longer as he rose. She almost didn't want to let go but knew she was just feeling insecure.
He held her hand for several long seconds, looking at her and letting her get a bit more of the support he needed. He shook his head, thinking about loss and the pain she was going through. Khalon actually really cared about Sofia, but he wasn't a natural comforter. He was an emotional person, for sure, but he had a hard time not being critical about other people's feelings. Still, he understood why she was sad and wanted to give her the best experience he could.
"I'm so sorry, Sof." he said, leaning in and giving her a kiss on the forehead. After a few more seconds, he pulled his hand away and went for his closet. He pulled out a white t-shirt and a pair of his own boxers and placed them on the bed. Then he walked back over the Sofia and grabbed her hand again. "Come, on. Let's go take a shower."
This was the first time in Khalon's life that he was offering to strip in front of a woman and it was completely unrelated to sex. The words felt strange coming out of his mouth for that reason. What was going on with him?
Gingerly she stood and followed him. She felt like a lost lamb being led back to pasture but she felt safe. "Then I can sleep... I think I'm close to passing out." Sofia said with a soft smile. "But nice to see you still want to get my clothes off." she joked a little.
A joint post by;
Crewman Sofia Cipriani
Yeoman, USS Pioneer
Ensign Khalon Price
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Pioneer
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