Dekas Posted September 11, 2022 Posted September 11, 2022 Yet another spicy-emotional interaction between @TLea and @John Kendrick. It's sweet, and it is a little sad. And well written! Once again, can't wait to see how this ends up developing as things progress in various directions. Quote ((Inside Club Mobius)) Kendrick: ::confused, then feeling a bit offended:: Of course I can! T’Lea: Prove it to me. Walk with me. She gave a royal, over exaggerated gesture toward the exit, and smirked fully expecting him to face-plant at some point. Of course, she wouldn’t let that happen. She needed him intact and alert. Kendrick: ::waving hand casually:: I can do this. Two steps later, he suddenly changed direction and snagged her arm. T’Lea raised her eyebrows not knowing what to expect. Kendrick: Wait. Why do we need to go outside? T'Lea: Because I asked oh-so nicely? Kendrick: ::smiling:: You're not going to shoot me with that new phaser I gave you, right? She pretended to seriously consider it for a moment, and then shook her head. T'Lea: I like my phaser too much for that. Go on… scoot… She gave him a gentle push, which wasn’t the smartest idea given his condition, but he didn’t fall over so all was good. ((Outside Club Mobius, Market District)) She had to get away from the distractions of the club, and all those prying eyes to have the conversation she was planning. So she walked until they were wandering the lighted pathways under the night sky, and the vibrations of Club Mobius were forgotten. T’Lea: Sorry to drag you away. It seemed like you were enjoying yourself. ::grin:: At least the drinking part anyway. One last pry into his life with Pelley. What would he say? That he couldn’t stay and needed to get back to her? Or something else? Kendrick: I’m not drunk ::reaching for his head:: If that’s what you’re referring to. I had like, what, maybe one or two… He started counting with his fingers and started shaking his head. Kendrick: No… it couldn’t be that many… I was still waiting for Sera to fetch me a beer… ::confused:: Wasn’t I? Truth was, whether he had one glass or ten, his memory of the night was starting to get blurry. He pulled at his jacket as he felt a breeze of the cold night air. Why had Katrina insisted on him not wearing a shirt underneath his suit jacket? He was going to catch a cold out here, that much was sure. T’Lea: So how do you like your job as Chief? Have you taken advantage of all the benefits that come with it? It may have felt like idle chat just to get where she was going, but she was genuinely interested in how he was handling the pressures of work. She walked beside him and they passed under a darker shadow from a massive tree whose branches seemed to engulf the artificial and natural light surrounding them. Shade from the night. Surprisingly it was possible, she absently mused. Kendrick: ::still pulling at his jacket:: Benefits? ::confused:: I could choose my own apartment, if that’s what you mean. Other than that… When she looked over at John as he finished speaking, she kept her mind centered and working toward her goal -- preparing for what was to come, and calculating how to get there without him suspecting anything. T’Lea: You know you’re missing out on one of the best perks of being Chief. Kendrick: ::frowns:: What then? T’Lea: Minions. All of the lesser forms of ::she was about to say “life”:: …rank below you are ready and willing to please their new overlord. Your problem is that you need to learn how to utilize your minions in an efficient and merciless fashion. Delegate the administrative duties that you dread to your underlings, and they will leap at the chance to be in your favor. ::mock pouty face:: But you’re just too sweet? There was a hint of seductive darkness and humor in her tone. But also a hidden truth. He didn’t have to take on the whole security department on his own. And he shouldn’t try. Kendrick: Am I? ::realizing:: Maybe. I guess I’m trying to lead the department by the age-old adage: there is no “I” in team. ::pauses:: You know, I sometimes miss the days when I was an Ensign. Life seemed a whole lot easier back then. :stops for a second, points his finger at T’Lea:: But don’t tell the Captain I said that! T’Lea: Well if you ever wish to relinquish your newfound power all you have to do is catch the eye of Starfleet Intel, and let them whisk you away from all this terrible, terrible freedom for six months. I highly recommend it for quickly resetting your career parameters. ::beat, lopsided smirk:: By the way you are a jerk for not asking where I was. The smile lied about how she felt. She had been hurt a little by his lack of interest. Kendrick: ::shrugged:: Like you would’ve told me anyway. You’re a mystery, even to me. He wanted to add “after what we went through together last year”, but he realized she was smart enough to pick up the hint. Up ahead she picked out a nice private spot between two buildings. It was an alleyway, and there was plenty of cover from outside parties. She aimed their walk in that direction. T’Lea: ::chuckle:: I never claimed to be anything different. Takes one to know one – isn’t that an Earth saying? Kendrick: I didn’t grow up on Earth ::beat:: but yeah, that’s a Human expression. T’Lea: For the record, I would have contacted you -::said too much::- or anyone if I had not been under comm’s blackout. Aren’t you going to ask what I was doing with Intel? She briefly turned to him and in doing so walked a few steps backwards in front of him. A sly expression on her face, begging him to ask. He rolled his eyes. It was already way too late to play these games. But this was T’Lea - so how could he not indulge her. Kendrick: ::smiles:: OK. ::sighs:: What was this so-called “top secret” mission of yours? T’Lea: Sorry, I’m not at liberty to say. Ha! Gotcha, sucka! Dammit, John thought. She laughed a little and crossed into the alley where she stopped. As she spun to face him she knew that she had reached the end of their destination and felt a little sadness prick at her cold Vulcan heart. He hated her. Yet he wanted her. Badly. He placed his hand on his chest. He felt his heart pounding, his lips trembling. This was crazy. What were they doing out here anyway? He looked around, only now realizing they had ended up in an alleyway. Kendrick: ::facing her again, deadpan serious:: Did it have something to do with your mother? He knew he brought up a touchy subject, but he realized it might be the only way to force the truth out of her. T’Lea: Maybe. In a way. ::beat:: I can tell you that I saved the galaxy. Again. :: spoken as if it was so troublesome and frequent:: And I am sorry that I was unable to say goodbye. ::pause, more optimistic:: But at least I can say goodnight. Kendrick: You brought me all the way out here just to say goodnight? She positioned herself closer to him, preparing for the task at hand. The nearer she drew to him, the more she didn’t want to be near him because she knew what was to come. John took a slight step back as she came closer. There was something in her eyes that scared him. Of course she wasn’t going to kill him like he had suggested earlier. No. This was something different. Something deeper. He could’ve sworn he saw -no, felt a sense of sadness as to what was to come. T’Lea: That would be a fair assessment. I am going to gracefully retire to my luxurious palace in the sky. But I just wanted to privately congratulate you :: closer to him now:: on the Captain’s Commendation. ::closer still:: You're kind of amazing. ::painfully close:: But only kind of. Again her smile belied what she was feeling. She paused a breath away, and her eyes traced his ruggedly handsome features that were magically highlighted under the darkened corridor they stood in. A part of her said, “don’t do it,” another part of her said, “at least tell him you are doing it,” and still another part of herself urged her to hurry up and do it. The latter won the night. Shortly after speaking her praise, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his cheek. The way his scruffy beard scratched at her skin brought back intimate memories of them together on The Wanderer during the height of Pon Farr. Letting go was never easy… She let her lips linger longer than they should have, and innocently, she brushed her hand against his short hair. She moved the points of contact into place and paused against his temple, and suddenly there he was right under her finger tips. It was clear now. Vibrantly clear. He was entwined in a Vulcan mating ritual – and they were bound as one, even though T’Lea knew he belonged to another. And that was why they both needed to be unchained. He needed to be free, and she needed to let him go. With subtle precision, like the scalpel of a surgeon’s knife, she sliced an invisible incision and severed the bond. It was quick and physically painless. Only when she pulled away from John, did she realize that she was no longer kissing his cheek, but his lips. How that happened she didn’t know, but the bond was gone. He was free to pursue the other woman. She hesitated, wondered, and then… T’Lea: Good night, John Kendrick. John touched his lips as he watched T’Lea walk away from him. As she vanished from his line of sight, he suddenly gasped for breath and dropped down on his knees, his hands reaching for his head as it felt like it was about to explode. After a few moments, the pulsating feeling in his head died out and his hands landed on the ground as a stream of tears started to run down his cheeks. As he leaned back up again, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders. It was cold. So cold. Freezing almost. And then there was this hole. This emptiness deep within him, like he had just lost an important part of himself. As he stared down the alley, it felt like the walls around him were closing in on him, almost like he was about to be swallowed by the City. Kendrick: ::whispering:: Goodbye. END === Lieutenant Commander T’Lea Historian and Archaeological Officer Denali Station Author ID I238301T10 & Lieutenant John Kendrick Chief Security and Tactical DENALI STATION J239801JK3 1 2 1 Quote
Alcyone Brennan Posted September 11, 2022 Posted September 11, 2022 I would say I am not into this sort of stuff but I would be a LIAR. This is so well written and absolutely enjoyable to read ❤️ 2 Quote
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