round 13 Lt Skyfire + LtJG Alexander: Just to Clarify...

[+ Trellis Vondaryan]

((Skyfire’s Quarters, USS Za))

:: It had seemed like forty eight hours since his conversation with Lael about nightmares. He was in between getting off work and getting ready for bed, just out of the shower when he heard a familiar chirp from his badge. He pulled on some sweat pants before going to answer it. ::

Alexander: =/\= Alexander to Skyfire. =/\=

Skyfire: :: He sighed and tapped his badge to reply. :: =/\= Go ahead, Dassa. =/\=

Alexander: =/\=You and I need to have a little chat.=/\=

Skyfire: oO Oh boy… Oo =/\= A’right. Ah’ll make the tea. =/\=

:: He wasn’t looking forward to a ribbing from Dassa, but after the last conversation it didn’t seem like he had much choice. It was going to be a long and drawn out conversation, he was sure. He got out a couple tea cups and a pot of tea when he heard the chime. ::

::She arrived quickly, having been waiting almost an hour for him to finish his shift, and pressed her thumb to the doorchime.::

Skyfire: Enter.

Alexander: ::steps inside, pinning him with a harsh stare:: She told me everything.

:: He had poured one cup of tea before noticing the stare hot enough to melt glaciers. ::

Skyfire: Alright...why are you mad at me?

::Dassa sighed. She was frustrated in general, really. Lael was miserable. She didn’t need an empathic connection with the woman to see that.::

Alexander: She’s miserable, Chythar. Surely you can see that.

Skyfire: Aye, but it’s nae my fault! She came tae me with nightmares last night and ah helped her through it. Ah was nae expectin’ there to be a crush on me involved.

Alexander: ::grimaces:: The way she tells it, it’s more complicated than that.

:: He nodded. That meant she knew about the connection, then. ::

Skyfire: Aye. She told you about that too, ah’m guessing...similar to what she had with you, but stronger. Final levels: T4/E4.

Alexander: ::grimaces:: She’s trying to play it off, like usual.

Skyfire: Again, nae my fault. :: He poured the other cup of tea and took a sip of his as he motioned to the empty space on the couch. ::

Alexander: ::sighs and sits down:: I know it’s not. You didn’t ask for this any more than she did. ::grimaces:: I should have never let go...and this wouldn’t be happening.

:: He sipped his tea, taking a long swallow of it and savoring its flavor to stall for time. Once he had finished it, he decided to address the frustration which seemed to be radiating off her. ::

Skyfire: Just the situation, then and not me specifically?

Alexander: ::grimaces:: I can only guess how hard this must be for her. I’ve been on the other side of the equation.

Skyfire: Any tips?

Alexander: ::grins wryly:: Not really. I mean, you saw how unsuccessfully I dealt with it. Jealous at every turn. ::shudders::

:: He closed his eyes and nodded, taking another sip of his tea. He still felt tense, and kind of terrible. But, his shields were up and he was doing his best to keep Lael from the effects. He was silent and contemplative for several moments. ::

Alexander: ::smiles wanly:: I wish I had a solution. But all you can do is ride it out and try not to pour salt in the proverbial wound.

:: He nodded again and exhaled slowly, letting himself breathe before taking another sip of tea. ::

::She laid her hand on top of his.::

Alexander: As hard as it is to believe right now, everything will turn out.

:: He set his mug back on the table and worried his lip for a moment. ::

Skyfire: Did she tell you about the onboard approximation to an expert on the matter?

:: He was referring to Somlen, but he was curious just how much Dassa was told about his conversation with Lael the previous night. ::

::Dassa’s features softened and she nodded. It had been like pulling teeth, but she’d gotten more details than she’d hoped for. Lael was an immensely private person and the only reason she’d been privy to the details from the other ‘verse is because of their empathic bond.::

Skyfire: Ah still haven’t come to a decision…

Alexander: I wish I could be of more help in that area, too, but I’m still struggling to get a rein on controlling my emotions. ::grimaces:: Since the surgery, I’ve been without my anchor. I’m so used to having Lael in my head to help me deal.

:: He didn’t know how to answer her. None of his connections, save for Alex, were on the ship. Truth be told, they weren’t anchors either, the connections just existed. Instead of formulating a response, he had another sip of tea and ran his fingers deftly over the tags again. ::

Alexander: ::sighs:: You and Lael both...you know how to get yourselves into some serious messes.

Skyfire: :: flippantly :: Come off it...ah didnae as to be on the away missions when stuff exploded and required yeh to do the surgery thing…

Alexander: ::pauses:: What’s going on...it is just one sided, isn’t it?

Skyfire: Not that ah ken of. Ah feel her all the time….and ah’ve been putting in extra effort to shield.

Alexander: ::shakes her head:: That’s not what I meant.

:: He raised a brow. ::

Skyfire: Elaborate, please?

Alexander: ::pauses:: What Lael feels for you…

:: On the one hand, he was with Alex and happy. On the other hand, Lael was one of his best friends and losing her would cause a degree of pain he wasn’t sure he knew how to handle. How it pertained to Dassa though was unknown. ::

Skyfire: She’s one of my best friends. Almost like the little sister ah never had.

::Dassa grimaced. Hearing it out loud sealed it. There was no way out of this for Lael but through it. It would be painful...possibly a repeat of what she’d been through with Jansen. Dassa only hoped that the breaking of their connection wouldn’t make it harder for her to help her.::

:: He watched her expression, his own stoic and curious. Why she was so damn interested in something that he couldn’t clearly explain, he had no idea. ::

Alexander: ::pauses:: You have no idea, do you?

Skyfire: Please, enlighten me. :: He wasn’t trying to be flippant, but this conversation had not provided any enlightenment so far. ::

Alexander: Imagine what you feel for Alex. Multiply it by two and add that to what Lael already felt for you before this whole thing. That’s what she’s dealing with.

:: He managed to keep the surprise off his face, but not out of his muscles as they tensed up. Now he was just trying to make it through the conversation. He didn’t really have a response to that. Again, not his fault… but still disconcerting. ::

Alexander: She’s trying to sort through all of that to figure out what her feelings are. ::grins wryly:: With the strength of your connection, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten a blast of it.

Skyfire: Remember the part where ah said ah was putting in extra effort to shield? Far as ah ken, it works both ways.

Alexander: ::sighs:: I guess she’s been more open with me. I had to meditate nightly when she and I were still connected to sort through things.

:: He understood that all too well. He meditated nightly because he had to in order to keep ahold of his gifts, not just because of the emotional connections he formed with Sal, Alex and Ris. Now, with this added connection, and the extra effort he had been putting in as a precaution more for himself, it was more mandatory than ever. Again, instead of answering, he gave a nod. ::

::Dassa regarded him for a few moments, not sure what else she could say. She’d come here in hopes of helping her friends, but it seemed all she’d done is make things worse.::

Skyfire: What are you after, Dassa? Ah barely understand what the hell happened.

Alexander: I was only trying to help. ::grimaces:: She’s really hurting and without our connection, I don’t have a way to help. She’s sealed herself off from me completely. She won’t talk to Anjar, Leya, or Michael either.

Skyfire: And our chat did….not help, ah’m guessin’.

:: None of the names she rattled off rang any bells, except Anjar. He continued listening, though. ::

Alexander: ::grimaces:: She hasn’t talked to me since just after the surgery...not really. I finally had a bit of a breakthrough earlier tonight, but she still won’t let me inside her head. I’m only relaying what she’s told me...and what I know from experience.

:: Trapped between a rock and a hard place, he was. The rock being the fact he was in a committed relationship with Alex, the hard place being the fact Lael’s harboring feelings for him beyond that of a simple crush. ::

Skyfire: Ah’m not sure what else to say, really.

Alexander: ::murmurs:: Me either.

:: He sipped the last of his drink in silence, breaking eye contact and feeling confused. On the one hand, he didn’t want to cause more harm than he had already. On the other, he didn’t want to complicate his relationship with Alex any further than it already was. This just...it was a new dimension to their next conversation he had to have. ::

Alexander: ::sighs:: I’m worried about her, Chythar. Just when she was starting to get past things with Jansen, this had to come up.

Skyfire: Doesn’t make me feel any better either, lass. Ah’m worried about her too, but ah’m only human. Nothin’ much ah can say tae make this better. Even Lazarus has limitations.

::Dassa nodded, her gaze dropping to her hands. She missed Tobian most in moments like this.::

:: He was silent again, keeping his gaze on the teacup. His body was still tense, and he was now wordless. Completely. He had a couple friends he couldn’t help at the moment because he wasn’t made of magic. ::

---
PNPC LtJG Dassa Alexander, PD, PDS
Medical Officer
USS Za
I238110RH0

&

Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire
Medical Officer
USS Za
O239002CS0