+ Trellis Vondaryan Posted March 5, 2017 Posted March 5, 2017 ((First Officer’s Quarters, Deck 2 -- USS Za))::Trellis sat at the desk in his quarters, subspace communicator at the ready. He was excited to have his weekly conversation with Zaina. He had a lot to talk to her about. This last mission had been quite emotionally, physically and psychologically draining. He needed the Risian’s good spirits and happy face to help cheer him up. A good glass of wine or three wouldn’t be a bad thing, either. For the moment, though, he’d willingly accept Zaina’s beaming face. He was sure she had a lot to talk to him about, too. ::He hit the call button and waiting patiently for the relays to connect. While waiting he looked over at the chess set on the table in the corner. It was his move in his correspondence game and he was analyzing his options. Another board was on another section of the table. That was for his regular games with Kaitlyn and other members of the crew. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, he saw the blonde hair of his long-distance girlfriend appear. He grinned when he saw her.:: Vondaryan: Hello! Am I glad to see you! Zaina: Trellis! ::She beamed:: It’s so good to see you! ::It really was. The Academy had been everything she had hoped, and at the same time so much more than she had expected. It was certainly exhausting, and with her term finally complete she was enjoying some down time at her brothers beach house, sitting on the deck and enjoying the warm sun of Little Risa while Antero and the rest of the stations senior staff were off saving the universe. Or whatever it was they were up to, it was slightly above the cadets clearance level. Thankfully the massive Pina Colada next to her was working wonders to help her not worry about it. Now she had something even better though, losing herself in those dreamy blue eyes. She only wished she could wrap herself up in his arms and take in his scent.:: ::He sniffed the tea he held up to his nose as she spoke. It was aromatic, with a hint of orange spice and moba fruit. It was an intriguing mix which he had to admit he rather liked.:: Vondaryan: How was your first full term at the Academy? Have you got your finals results back yet? Zaina: Yeah! I did alright. The basic engineering classes were a lot of fun, but some of the other core classes like TAC110 didn’t go all that well…::She deflated a bit, averting her gaze:: Thankfully the phasers all default to stun, so the instructor ended up being fine... Vondaryan: ::he chuckled:: That wasn’t exactly what I expected to hear, actually. But good to hear nonetheless. Zaina: Oh ::She slumped her cheek into her hand.:: and History of the Federation? Ugh, way too many Stardates to remember. Vondaryan: I was being serious about getting the answer keys for you. ::he tapped a few buttons on the display:: It wouldn’t be much of a problem and you would have lots of extra time for other activities. Zaina: ::She giggled:: Great idea until I get caught. Only one of us is smooth enough to be a master spy. ::She stuck out her tongue with a little smirk.:: Besides, I’ve managed to get by so far. I even joined a casual volleyball league. Vondaryan: ::he raised his eyebrows:: You have been busy. I hadn’t realized. Zaina: Yeah, but I like it. It’s better than being stuck working at the family resort my whole life. People here see as more than just a person to give their drink order. ::She gave him a happy smile.:: It’s nice. Vondaryan: How’d your brother take the news? ::Trellis had fond memories of Antero Flynn. They both had a love of fun and drinking, among other things. It was amazing how similar Vissians and Risians were. Probably why he really liked Flynn’s sister.:: Zaina: Antero didn’t really take the news well, but he came around. Once he accepted it he showed me a lot of support. ::Shrug:: Plus I guess he realized I would be getting a lot of the same outcast treatment that he got for joining. Vondaryan: ::he chuckled:: I’m sure you get much better treatment. ::he smirked:: After all, you’re WAAY cuter than he is. Zaina: Your sweet. ::A gentle smile.:: But i’m sure we have MUCH more interesting things to talk about. By which I mean you. ::A playful smirk:: How are your adventures in deep space? Been staying out of trouble I hope. ::He frowned. While technically true that he hadn’t been in trouble -- thankfully he’d remained parasite free throughout -- the last mission had been tough nonetheless. He didn’t especially want to talk about it at the moment so took a sip of his tea instead.:: Vondaryan: I don’t get in trouble… But it has a habit of following me around. ::he snorted:: Just another day in the life of a Starfleet officer, really. Zaina: Sounds like that’s something I’ll have to get used to when I graduate. ::She sat up as she took a sip from her iced beverage..::What’s it like being a first officer? Are your quarters nice? Vondaryan: ::he tilted his head:: Oddly, quite similar to being an intelligence officer. Lots of paperwork, sifting through reports and gathering the right information for the right situation. ::he chuckled:: Though this time I get to be more open about it. ::he smiled:: My quarters are about the same size as back on Ops. Lots of chess sets around and even a small workspace for my engineering projects. Zaina: I bet your bed is huge. ::She gave him a devious grin.:: Have someone to help you keep it warm? ::He blinked at his girlfriend. Why would she be asking such a thing? Before he had left Ops they’d agreed to continue their relationship long-distance. Did she suspect something different? Why would she think that?:: Vondaryan: ::he blinked again:: Um, no. I’ve actually been quite lonely without you here. ::Her heart broke a little at his expression. It wasn't a feeling of guilt, but of familiarity. From the moment the pair met the chemistry between them was obvious. Their relationship blossomed into something beautiful, and while their time together was rather short lived, being with him made her heart soar. Once he was reassigned though, she was filled with a very different feeling. The kind of feeling that was so obvious to her friends like Theo, Mirra and Aitas that she had been dragged out of the beach house more than once. Her eyes wandered to the damaged exocomp unit that he had bought for her at the Curious Bauble. It was a project that she was thrilled to undertake with her new sweetheart, but with his departure it she couldn't bring herself to work on it without it being a reminder of his absence. As it turned out, long distance was hard...:: Zaina: Trellis…::She left out a soft little sigh, wishing she could hold her hand to the side of his face as she gazed into those brilliant blues..:: I’ve been lonely too. I just feel like maybe we need to go easier on ourselves. Vondaryan: What did you have in mind? Zaina: I want us to embrace the time we had together, and the time yet to come. But maybe the time in between we shouldn’t close ourselves off to the comfort of others? I just don’t know if pining for each other all the time is doing us any favors.. ::Well. That was unexpected. Not entirely unprecedented in either of their cultures, necessarily, but unexpected.:: Vondaryan: ::smirking playfully:: Does this mean you’ve got someone in mind at the Academy? Zaina: Well, not really…::She matched his smirk.:: Would you really want to know if I did? ::He pursed his lips, considering. He was still a little shocked at her proposal, truth be told. He had grown to like and perhaps even love her in the short time they were together. While he wasn’t typically a jealous person, did he really want to hear about his girlfriend’s love life outside of him? He thought better of it.:: Vondaryan: ::he chuckled:: No, probably best I don’t. I don’t have anyone on the Za in mind, but I haven’t been looking, either. ::he sighed:: It does make sense, though. I believe there’s an old Earth saying: ‘What happens on Vega stays on Vega.’ ::he shrugged:: So I guess we’ll consider this our time on Vega, until we see each other again. Zaina: ::Grinning:: Well rest assured, there isn’t anyone on Ops half as handsome or clever as my trelly bear. Vondaryan: Trelly bear? ::he raised his eyebrows in surprise:: Zaina: ::A mock frown.:: What? All healthy couples must have lovey dovey nicknames that they embarrass each other with. ::She gave a serious nod.:: It’s a fact. Vondaryan: ::he chuckled again:: Oh, well then by all means, let’s get nicknames. I am, after all, a fan of facts. ::he tilted his head:: Just not ‘Trelly bear,’ okay? Zaina: ::She giggled.:: Well I did say embarrass each other. Besides, you can pay me back with my own little nickname. Vondaryan: How about Zay-zay? Or Zany? ::he pursed his lips:: No, too plain. Zaney poo? ::He gave a sour face. Even he didn’t like that.:: Zaina: Well I do tend to be a bit Zaney, ::She scrunched her nose.:: but maybe a version with less poo in it. Vondaryan: Well, I’m open to suggestions. Zaina: Hey, I can’t pick my own! ::She grinned:: You just gotta use that officer thinking and come up with something. Vondaryan: I’ve never had to give anyone a lovey dovey nickname before. This is new to me. ::he grinned:: It’s a good thing I like new experiences, then, isn’t it my Zanthi fever. ::he shook his head.:: No, that’s not good at all, is it. ::Sometimes he was too literal and linear for his own good. He was really struggling with this nickname issue.:: ::She let out an amused laugh which relaxed its way into an expression that portrayed her deep affection for the man. She met his eyes, as best she could through a subspace feed.:: Zaina: You are way too far away. ::She shot him a little pout.:: I miss you. ::He sighed. She had a point. Sometimes he regretted his new posting. Those times were few and far between, but sometimes. Usually when he was alone in bed or talking to Zaina. Still, the fact that they could speak was great. They’d be back together soon, too, he hoped. The years would be gone before he knew it and he’d be back with Zaina.:: Vondaryan: I miss you too. ::he kissed his fingers then put them to the screen. It was the best he could do for now.:: -- Zaina Flynn Engineering Cadet Starbase 118 As simmed by: Lieutenant Commander Antero Flynn Chief Helm Officer Starbase 118 Ops C239205AF0 and Lieutenant Commander Trellis Vondaryan First Officer USS Za O239208TV0
Recommended Posts