round 17 JP: Lt. Bishop & Lt. Faranfey - An Unexpected Date

[Sabrina Holly]

(( Corridors outside Bishop's Quarters, Deck 2, USS Doyle-A ))

:: Selene knew that Alex had asked her out for drinks, but she needed an adventure. She had a holodeck program that she created when she had time on the Constitution, a mix of adventure and scenery. Relaxing through holodeck programs was the way she destressed, but her choice programs had changed through the years. She hoped he wouldn't mind. ::

:: Before she had made her way to his quarters, she dressed in a comfortable sports bra, some capri pants and a pair of ankle high boots with good grip. She had packed a backpack with some rope, climbing equipment, a couple bottles of water and some other refreshments. The program may have been designed by her, but she did have an aversion to replicated foods and drinks, when she could afford to. ::

::Alex was quietly relaxing, listening to some Jazz, very similar to what had been popularized in the mid 1900s on Earth. He found the complexities of the music to be something quite unmatched in almost any other form of music. It was like chaos and order woven together into a tapestry unlike any other. ::

:: As she got to his door, she buzzed and waited. ::

Bishop: Hello? Who is it?

Faranfey: It's Selene.

:: Alex was suddenly excited, this was very unexpected. He remembered asking her out, but hadn’t really set a date. In his mind, her remembering and taking initiative was a very promising thing. He quickly stood up from his chair and half ran to the door. ::

Bishop: I’ll be right there.

:: The doors opened, and she stepped inside. ::

Faranfey: I know you planned on getting me drunk on our second date, but if you don't mind, I would prefer to show you a holodeck program.

:: Alex looked at the way she was dressed. He tried not to stare, but it was hard not to because of how attracted to her he was. He himself was in a polo style shirt and jeans. He felt almost a little overdressed for whatever she had in mind based on what she was wearing. ::

Bishop: You will find, I can be flexible when needed. :: He smiled. :: What did you have in mind?

:: She placed the bag down, and opened it, showing him the rope and climbing gear. ::

Faranfey: We're going to get a bit sweaty, but the climb will be worth the destination.

Bishop: I guess I need to change clothes then. I can’t say I’ve been climbing before, so you might have to help me a little bit.

Faranfey: I'll help wherever I can, but make sure your shoes have a grip, you don't want them to slip.

:: Alex left the front room of his quarters and into his bedroom where all of his clothes were and found a t-shirt and some hiking boots and quickly changed. ::

Bishop: How does this look?

:: Alex really hoped he picked appropriate clothing. It’s hard to match up with a sports bra as a guy. ::

Faranfey: As long as you can move around. Ideally shorts work better than pants, but, there's the problem of inexperience. Well... If I am honest, experienced climbers can scrape up their knees too, hence my pants go past my knee.

:: Pulling the backpack over her shoulder, she stepped towards the door, the journey to the holodeck would take a few minutes, it was on deck five, not too far away from their workplace. ::

Bishop: I will just have to make due. I’ll go with the added protection.

(( Transit, USS Doyle-A ))

:: As they stepped in the turbolift, she called out the deck, before turning her attention back to him. ::

Faranfey: What activities do you enjoy in your down time?

Bishop: I enjoy jazz and classical music and I read a lot. I also have a few chess games that I play remotely with some friends that I went to medical school with. :: As the words poured out of his mouth, he suddenly seemed dull even to himself. :: But I think that this is something I should definitely try. What about you?

Faranfey: When I was younger I enjoyed quite a number of adventurous activities... However, the past twenty years had dulled that for me. This, while considered adventurous, is also meditative.

Bishop: Yeah, not so sure about that meditative bit there. Something about falling off of the side of a 2500 foot cliff face doesn’t make me feel that calm…

:: Alex was looking forward to spending time with Selene. He had a few misgivings about rock climbing, but there was no reason he couldn’t try something new. After all, it was time he was allowed to spend with her while off duty. ::

((Holodeck 2 - Deck 5))

:: They stood outside of the holodeck and Alex waited for Selene to start up her program. Selene input a few commands into the holodeck computer and the doors opened. ::

:: In they stepped, it was twilight, there was light coming from above the fog on the ground. There was a lantern at their feet, showing light a few meters in any direction. The door closed behind them and she wondered momentarily if Alex regretted joining her. But the scenery at the top of mountain, if some people would call it a mountain, was beautiful. That was where they were going, and now she needed to get her bearings. ::

Bishop: Impressive. It looks like you have spent some time getting all of the little details done just the way you wanted them. The fog is a nice touch.

Faranfey: I use this program to relax, I know you don't think a climb with the possibility of falling, is very relaxing, but it's not the climb, it's the view.

:: Selene picked up the lantern, and raised it high, looking for a small faint light that would lead the way. They would need to maneuver past some rock bases, on the way to the mountain, and the path was dimly lit. The lights coming from below would ruin the view from above, so it was just enough light to lead them in the right direction. ::

Bishop: Is there anything about the program I should be concerned about?

Faranfey: Safeties are on, while there is a possibility of scratching your knees, falling won't hurt you badly.

Bishop: Ok, so scratches and bruises, maybe a sprain, but probably no broken bones. Got it. I might need to seek medical attention from a certain doctor when we’re done here though. :: He winked at her as he said the last part. ::

:: She reached for Bishop's hand, and followed the dimly lit path, pulling him forward. Their journey weaved through rock formations through the fog, until she stopped at the base of one. Removing her backpack, she grabbed the climbing equipment, and attached a harness to herself, before handing one to Bishop. She attached the lantern to her harness, and put the backpack on her back again. ::

Faranfey: The climb isn't straight up, but this is the way to get to the path.

:: Alex looked at the harness, and while he could probably figure out how to attach it himself after watching Selene do it, he had a better idea in mind. ::

Bishop: You might have to help put this on me. I’ve never worn one of these before and it looks pretty complex. I wouldn’t want to put it on wrong and have you laugh at me.

:: Alex was a little impressed with his idea and looked forward to the feel of her hands on him. ::

:: Selene rolled her eyes, he had to be goofing with her. There was little complexity to actually putting the harness itself on, it needed to be snug, but it was the connection to the rope that was the more complicated thing. ::

Faranfey: Surely you know how to put on a belt?

Bishop: I do… But I’ve never put on a harness like this before. What if I do it wrong? :: He grinned. ::

:: Selene was sure at this point that he was definitely messing with her, especially given the grin on his face. She hoped he wasn't going to be this difficult the whole way through, as she unbuckled the harness. ::

Faranfey: The larger loop goes just above your hips, like so...

:: She stretched the loop out and reached behind him with her right hand, holding the harness, and leaned against him for a moment as she wrapped her left arm around him, grabbing the loose end of the loop, before pulling it around. Once both ends were in front, she bent down a little, to make sure she was fastening it securely. ::

:: Alex was having a very hard time concentrating on how Selene was attaching the harness. He made a mental note that he hoped he would remember tomorrow morning, to figure out how to do this for the next time she invited him climbing. He was fairly certain she wouldn’t let him get away with this a second time. ::

Bishop: Ok…

:: It was all he could muster the strength to say without betraying his current thought process. ::

Faranfey: The smaller ones go high on your thighs and fasten on the inside. They even have easy to fasten connectors.

:: Selene took a step back to let Alex fasten the thigh belts. ::

:: Alex recovered enough to take over and fasten the thigh belts like Selene indicated. He probably should have felt a little ashamed at his behaviour during this process, but he had enjoyed it just a little too much. ::

Bishop: Any suggestions on how to do this safely?

:: Alex was a little less intimidated having seen the actual size of the hill they were climbing. It was more a hill than a mountain. He wasn’t sure why he had initially imagined a sheer cliff face stretching thousands of feet above them. He wasn’t sure why he thought in absolutes when it came to Selene, but when she said it was a bit of a climb and had a backpack full of climbing gear, he expected much worse than what he ended up seeing. ::

Faranfey: Just watch me.

:: Selene reached for the rope that was anchored at the top, and attached it to her harness before she took hold of the rocks on the hill, and started climbing. Every few steps she would tighten the rope so that if she fell, she wouldn't fall too far. ::

:: The climb was rather uneventful, mostly Alex following Selene’s lead on where to grasp and where to step. ::

:: Once they reached the top, Selene helped Alex up the last few feet of it before removing her backpack and plopping down on the grass at the very top. While it wasn't a mountain by any definition, the hill wasn't tiny, so it came out of the fog and they could see over it. This was the location Selene wanted to take Alex to see. The light from the double moons above shone down on them and lit up the fog below, which had a purple black hue, and a number of rocks rising from it. Once the fog cleared the view below was spectacular. The light showed the valley below, revealing the rock formations that they weaved through on the way to the hill. Looking further to the east, there was a large clearing not too far from the base of the hillside that housed a lake. ::

Bishop: Wow! This is a great view. How often do you come here?

:: Leaning back, she looked up at the double moons, they were programmed to be different each time she came in, this time one was full and the other was half. Everything she had programmed had been part of one world that she had been able to explore, briefly, while her ship hid in the a crater of a nearby moon to make repairs. It was a rare beauty that she couldn't recall the location of anymore. ::

Faranfey: Whenever I need to reflect on the day, and relax. The climb lets me release any frustrations I might have, and the view fills me with a serene feeling.

Bishop: We should go swimming some time. I enjoy that. oO Of course, we didn’t bring swimsuits, but I don’t mind if you don’t. Oo

:: Selene looked down at the lake, she used to enjoy the water greatly when she was younger. She hadn't made time to enjoy it as much since then, it was rare when she did. It wasn't the visibility of her battle scars that kept her from the water, she was wearing a sports bra, so a good number of them were visible. It was the just the memories and the loneliness. How could she be afraid of water now, when she wasn't afraid of the Hunger, or coming back in time to stop them? ::

Faranfey: Maybe... :: She looked at him, the last couple days making her think. :: I am curious why you haven't asked any more about my past. You met Sun, and have had an opportunity to work with her, surely you are curious.

Bishop: Well, your situation isn’t something that everyone knows about, so it’s not really a subject I can just casually bring up. The times I have thought about asking you, we were standing in the middle of Sickbay surrounded by people I don’t think know the details. But, since we’re alone. What does Sundassa think?

:: At this point, she laid down on the grass and looked at the stars and moons above. She wanted to tell him more about her past, since it was certain to her that he was interested in her. There wasn't much point in holding back information that made her who she was. ::

:: Alex laid down in the grass next to Selene. He got pretty close, but not touching. Still unsure just how close he could get. He looked up at the night sky and the moons and tried to see if he could recognize any star clusters to pinpoint the basis for the landscape and correlate that to any planets. Not that he had any real chance of doing that. His astrometrics skills were horrible. ::

Faranfey: I am not sure what she thinks of me, but she knows everything. I didn't do her any real favors having come back, and she still is friendly towards me.

Bishop: In the brief time I’ve gotten to know Sundassa, it’s no wonder why she is friendly. I think she would be friendly towards anyone that wasn’t in any way trying to keep her from doing her job as a doctor. Why would you think she would be any different?

Faranfey: I changed how things were supposed to go, which was the point. The consequences weren't what I expected though, as her relationship with her fiance, fell apart.

:: Perhaps it was the differences in how the love was lost. Perhaps, Sun realized it wasn't meant to be if it was ripped away from her such an unnatural way that it would leave her coming back in time to stop it. ::

Bishop: Well, I met the guy briefly. I can say I didn’t like him all that much. He seemed very distant and unfriendly.

Faranfey: I'm glad I came back, despite that. My crew and I were able to prevent a species from destroying the universe, a species I fought for nearly twenty years, since I suffered a similar loss. Now, I suppose I am getting a chance to live again.

:: Selene looked up at Alex, and smiled a rare and genuine smile, before sitting up. She hoped she wasn't being too presumptuous, but it had been something she hadn't done in some time, so she was out of practice when she leaned forward and kissed him. ::

:: Alex was still laying in the grass. He wrapped his arms around Selene and pulled her closer as he returned the kiss. He stopped for a moment and put in his thought. ::

Bishop: I wouldn’t say “live again”, I would say “continue living”.

:: As Alex pulled her close again to continue the kiss, the sensation of his lips against hers sent a tingling reaction through her, something she hadn't felt in a long time. Since her time in this timeline, there was little need for her to be in attack mode, or on edge, and she felt safe on her brother's ship under his command. But this was the first time that she truly let down her defenses. ::

TBC

~

Lt Alexander Bishop

Chief Medical Officer

USS Doyle-A, NCC-90221-A
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those belonging the character, and not the author. (Except maybe this time)

&

PNPC Lieutenant Selene Faranfey

Medical Officer

Simmed by:

Captain Shelther Faranster

Commanding Officer

USS Doyle-A, NCC-80221-A

Assistant Statistician, Starbase 118 Academy