Lieutenant John Kendrick - It's just water

[TLea]

@John Kendrick  Taking bets now on how this will end. lol  Jon, you're such a great sport playing along with my antics.  

Quote

((Bajor, Hendrikspool, Beachhead))

As the first rays of sun pierced through the canopy and the shadows of branches and leaves danced on his tent, it had taken John a moment to fully realize he was not in his own bed aboard Juneau but deep in the jungle. It had surprised him that he apparently had slept through the night without even waking up once.

oO T’Lea. Oo

He hadn't heard anyone scream that night, which either meant they'd talked it out like adults or… He shook his head. No, they were both Starfleet officers. Professionals. Not cold blooded assassins.

He unzipped his sleeping bag and crawled out of his tent. A thin layer of fog covered the river. He looked at T’Lea’s hammock and then at Commander Williams’ tent. Not much movement there, which probably meant they were still a sleep… or dead. He turned around, facing the campfire site. A sense of relief washed over him as he saw no dead bodies.

And then he smelled something. He sniffed the air until he finally realized he himself was the cause of the sweaty scent that had just entered his nostrils.

oO Damn. Oo

He looked back over at the river.

oO Should I? Oo

Looking back over at T’Lea’s hammock and Williams’ tent, he decided he had a small window of opportunity to take a bath in the river.

He took off his clothes and stepped over to the river. He tipped his toes in the water. It didn’t feel too cold. He stepped in and started throwing some water in his face and under his armpits. He then slowly crouched down until the water just reached his chin.

As he closed his eyes, trying to relax, he was suddenly startled by a voice. A muffled male voice. It seemed to originate from T’Lea’s hammock.

Falt: =/\= Ensign Falt to Commander TLea =/\=

He tried to hold himself steady in the water as he looked over his shoulder. Coming from the direction of their camp, he heard two voices conversing but couldn't make any sense of it as he didn't really catch any of the words. It was probably T'Lea and Williams, he thought, who had just woken up and no doubt wondered where the hell he was.

He closed his eyes again, trying to enjoy a few more moments of peace and quiet before he had to pack again for another long day in the jungle.

Suddenly he heard something moving through the brushes, moving towards him. His eyes flashed open and for a split second, envisioning some wild beast about to attack him, he thought of jumping out of the water to try to make it across the river, hoping the beast wouldn't follow him. But then he heard a familiar voice, although it was as if the voice seemed distant… as if coming through a combadge. 

Falt: =/\= response

T’Lea: =/\= Are you able catch up to us on the trail? =/\=

He turned around, but it was obvious T'Lea hadn't noticed him yet, bathing in the river.

Falt: =/\= response

T’Lea: =/\= If you reference your map there is a location marker where I found-…

And then she saw him. He smiled and waved at her ever so innocently. Although the water was cold, he felt his cheeks getting red. But that was even before he realised he was bathing fully nude.

He thought he could see a slow movement of her eyebrows which told him… Absolutely nothing. Was she surprised, shocked,... ? 

Falt: =/\= respons

She continued her conversation with Ensign Falt as if nothing had happened. Typical Vulcan, John thought.

T’Lea: =/\=  Apologies.  We will be stopping briefly at the location marker indicated on your map.  I found evidence of impact material and wanted to conduct a more thorough search of the area before continuing on.  Is that an acceptable rendezvous? =/\=

Though her eyebrows may not have given anything away, the fact that she didn't look away either meant she liked what she saw. He smiled. 

Or... she didn't see anything she hadn't seen before and wasn't interested at all… His smile faded away again.

Falt: =/\= respons

T’Lea: =/\= We will see you there.  I am looking forward to your added insight.  Safe travel.  T’Lea out. =/\=

She ended the comlink and for a moment - which almost felt like an eternity - she remained silent.

T’Lea:  Mr. Falt will be joining the expedition.

Kendrick: ::trying to sound excited:: That's great. 

Another awkward pause followed. Should he just get out of the water and pick up his clothes? He was starting to feel like a prisoner of the river with T'Lea as the guard, holding the key.

T’Lea:  Are you aware of the water-borne spike worm that enters in through the urethra to deposit eggs.

Kendrick: Wait… What? The ure-? Oh, frak!

He jumped up out of the water and looked down, checking if there were worms leeched onto his legs... or any other part of his body. And then he remembered the tricorder readings of the water sample he took the day before, realizing it was another prank of hers.

Kendrick: Dammit T'Lea! Not funny!

And then, without thinking it through, he ran up to her, picked her up and threw her into the water.

T'Lea: response 

He started laughing as she struggled to get back up on her feet.

Kendrick: Come on now, it's just a little bit of water. 

T'Lea: response 

 

TAG/TBC

===

Lieutenant John Kendrick

Security

USS Juneau, NX-99801

J239801JK3

Bye bye, T'Lea!  

Edited November 9, 2021 by TLea