round 18 Lt. Moonsong & LtJG Greyson: The Wounding Part 1

[Alora DeVeau]

((Deck 7: Arboretum))

::Raissa sat quietly on a bench. She slowly inhaled, allowing the scent of growing things to surround her. The mix of smells enveloped her, but they did not soothe her as usual. She had sent a message to Carter to meet her here. After talking to CD and Saveron, she knew she had no choice.::

:: Carter had managed to break away from his duties in engineering, the promotion to his new rank causing him to be neck-deep in work. He had been meeting with the engineers and learning about his new domain. He seemed a little distant at first, until he caught sight of Ris and sat down alongside her. ::

Greyson: Hey, love. What’s up?

::Her eyes caressed his face for a long moment and then she shifted away, putting distance between them.::

Moonsong: We have to talk…

:: The distance she put between the two of them made his brows raise. That was never a good sign when those were the first words he heard. ::

Greyson: Uh-oh.

::She couldn’t look at him. She stared down at her hands.::

Moonsong: Carter… this… this change in me… it’s permanent. ::pause:: I know you don’t understand this…

:: He did understand it was permanent. They’d been over that a couple times. And his brow furrowed again. ::

Greyson: I know the word “permanent.” And my guess is that we aren’t a permanent item anymore.

Moonsong: I’m… I’m sorry… I love you… but we may never be able to touch safely.

:: He felt like she reached into his chest and ripped out his heart with those words. He couldn’t meet her gaze, because he was now fighting back the tears that he’d been dreading. Thier last conversation didn’t go well, and this one seemed to be worse off. ::

Greyson: I understand.

:: He blinked away a tear to prevent it from streaking his face as he lowered his head to his hands. This time she was the one walking away, and there seemed nothing he could do about it. Only accept it. ::

::Her instinct was to reach out to him, but she snatched her hand back before she actually touched him.::

Moonsong: ::whisper:: I’m sorry…

:: Carter ran a hand through his hair and blinked again, not sure what to say for a few moments. He bit his lip, then spoke again. ::

Greyson: So...What you’re telling me is because of these changes, you’re the one walking away. When I promised not to do that. Right?

::She flinched inwardly::

Moonsong: It’s not that simple… I don’t want to do this…

:: In Carter’s experience, nothing was ever simple. Engineering puzzles, relationships, textbook equations, and the human equation -- all complex marvels of the universe. This one just happened to be his own “marvel”, which was equally as complex as his homework all of a sudden. ::

Greyson: Enlighten me. :: His voice nearly cracked as he added as an afterthought. :: Please.

Moonsong: Wh-what?

Greyson: Why are you doing it, if you don’t want to?

::Her hands clenched together tightly in her lap.::

Moonsong: I want you to be safe… I need you safe…. You saw what happened when we touched….

:: Her words struck him like a punch to the face, and he broke his gaze. Tears rose unbidden through his visage of calm and streaked his face. The anger he felt at himself for letting his feelings dictate all those months ago that their relationship was a good idea. It seemed like one at the time, and it was good while it lasted. Oddly, his anger at her was minimal; only for her walking away because of the changes she’d undergone when he promised not to. ::

Greyson: :: weakly. :: Guess I’ll just...get back to work then…

::She fought to control her emotion, to hold back the tears. If she cried, he might react by touching her. Her control was still fragile. CD and Saveron both supported this course of action, but that knowledge didn’t make the heartbreak any easier.::

Moonsong: ::softly:: Carter….

:: He turned to look at her, but was blinking to keep the tears from his vision. ::

Greyson: Hm?

Moonsong: I… I…. nothing….

:: Her attempt at speech made his gaze more intense for only a few more seconds before he got up slowly. He wanted to retreat back to the confines of engineering, to get some work done. Before he did something he’d regret. It wasn’t how he envisioned spending his day. ::

Greyson: I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Moonsong: Where… where are you going?

:: What he needed was probably either a stiff drink or cold shower.. And as it’s new chief (albeit temporarily) he still had some homework to do in engineering as well. The latter two options would at least keep him out of trouble. ::

Greyson: Engineering. I have some reading to do on the warp capabilities of the ship.

::She looked up at him, her eyelashes spiky with unshed tears.::

Moonsong: You’ll make a fine engineer. I know you will….

:: Out of this conversation, that was probably the kindest thing she had said. He nodded faintly and made a soft reply. ::

Greyson: Thanks. I’ll see you around, Counselor.

:: And with that, he started to head out of the room before his frustration changed targets from himself to her. There was enough tension in the room already, and the last thing he wanted was to make the situation worse. ::

::Raissa sat in silence. The fact that he used her title instead of her name was a blow. She watched him walk away, quickly masked by the winding path in the Arboretum. Once he was out of sight, she allowed the tears to fall. Her shaking hand reached for her commbadge and she tapped it.::

TBC

-------

Provisional Lieutenant JG Carter Greyson

Acting Chief Engineer

USS Invicta

Simmed by: Lt. Commander Skyfire

&

Lieutenant Raissa Moonsong

Chief of Counseling

USS Invicta