Fun

Posted on Fri Jan 30, 2015 @ 5:45pm by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings

1,925 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: All this has happened before...
Location: The Gardens
Timeline: Backpost after Concerns of the Queen

Tom rarely had issues sleeping. Once he'd even fallen asleep in the enlisted barracks in the middle of a fist fight just two bunks over. Yet, tonight, no matter what he did, he could not surrender to slumber. His mind continued to race, thinking not just of the wonderful evening at the falls, but also the questions he'd raised earlier.

The Chief rose from his bunk, unwilling to continue his attempt at sleep. He walked over to his computer terminal and checked the Counselor's schedule, hoping to make an appointment for the morning. He paused, not knowing if this was by the Counselor's design or by protocol, but her present location was listed on the appointment calendar.

Tom frowned, considering seeing the Counselor now. It was a late hour, and if the Counselor was winding down for the evening, he didn't want to disturb her.

Her location was listed as simply "The Gardens." He didn't know quite exactly where that was, but a quick glance at the deck plans relayed that it was a former cargo bay. Tom still didn't want to disturb her, but based on what stories he'd been hearing from the crew, it was coming along quite nicely. Perhaps a late night stroll would help to calm his mind enough to get a couple hours of rack time.

Tom took his time traversing the ship, including not taking turbolifts to The Gardens, hoping a bit of exercise would help. After about ten minutes, he stepped into the former cargo bay, where he froze in the doorway, completely amazed by the transformation the room had undertook.

Cass walked up from behind the closest row of plants and put her hands behind her back. "Good evening Thomas, how can I help you?"

He took in the sight for a moment more before turning to the Counselor. "This is beautiful," he remarked with a smile. As approachable as she looked, he really did not want to impose. "I have a lot on my mind," he confessed, "and I was hoping a little stroll would help to clear it."

Cassandra beamed. "Well, that's what this is here for," she said, gesturing to a small path. "If you'd like, we can talk while we walk. If you'd prefer to be alone, I can leave you be."

Her invitation was welcome, and Tom was glad to accept it. As they started to walk, Tom started the conversation. "I took your advice, Counselor." He smiled, masking the trepidation fluttering in his mind. "The last couple of days have been incredible. In fact, they've been some of the most amazing I've had in years."

"That's wonderful to hear," Cassandra said, smiling. "I'm glad you're finding someone to spend some meaningful time with." She placed a hand on his shoulder and the jewel in her headband flickered. She smiled and stopped by a set of plants winding their way up a column. She reached out and pulled off a strawberry, nibbling at it. "So, what are you worried about?"

Tom was impressed by the growing fruit. In fact, he swore he watched raspberries grow a couple millimeters just before his very eyes. Taking a cue from the Counselor, Tom sampled the raspberry and found it to be quite flavorful. Even as he savored the taste, his mind considered what the woman beside him had suggested, even though Tom hadn't given any details about the last couple of days. "I take it you know Lieutenant Naroot..."

"I do," she said. She smiled in encouragement. Until he needed her to talk, the floor was his to express himself when he was ready.

He nodded, continuing to lead their wandering. "The Lieutenant..." he paused, noticing he was using her rank with another officer. Tom was rarely one for formality when it came to being off duty, but given his situation, he felt caution was needed. But, using her rank simply felt... wrong.

"Penny," he said, resuming his thoughts, "is a wonderful person. When I'm with her I feel so... alive..."

Tom stopped and turned towards the Counselor. "The thing is, there's a lot that separates me and her. I'm sure there's an age difference, but that doesn't bother me. She, like you, is an officer. I'm not. In the past, Starfleet hasn't been so keen on fraternization, and I've seen them do terrible things to officers." He sighed. "I really like Penny," Tom said simply. "I don't want to see her get hurt."

Cassandra's eyes crinkled in amusement. "Very gentlemanly of you. I wouldn't worry too much about fraternization. When I was an Ensign, I almost got engaged to an Admiral, and he was most definitely too old for me. It's not as much of a taboo as it's made out to be nowadays." She got a wistful smile. "Penny does have a zest for life, and that zest is contagious. She sees the world through a very unique set of eyes."

She took a breath and looked around the path ahead of them, then back at him, cocking an eyebrow. "But you and I both know, hurt is a risk we all take. She'll learn that as well. I know you don't want to hurt her, but if you like each other, you're going to both be exposed to that risk. You need to accept that, and when the surprises come, take them in stride. In the mean time, enjoy the honeymoon."

Tom nodded, carefully weighing the advice against the battle in his mind, smirking even at the consideration of the word 'honeymoon.' As they resumed walking, still thinking as he walked. He'd taken plenty of risks of his own over the years. Some paid off, others were costly. His career was everything to him, and he didn't know enough about Penny to make any assumption. "One step at a time, I guess," he said with a frown, a sign that doubts were still on his mind.

"The official slogan of relationships," Cassandra said, chuckling a bit. She gave him a sideways glance and sighed, smiling. She stepped aside and walked over to a small tree, reaching up and plucking a yellow and red fruit from its branches. She flicked her wrist, tossing the fruit to him.

"A nectarine," she said, as he caught it. "A delicious fruit, but prone to defects." She pointed at a small soft spot on the skin. "So what do you do? Discard the fruit until you find one with no chance of problems?" She looked at him pointedly.

Tom rolled the nectarine in his hand, thumbing the difference between the fresh and soft portions. "Course not," he replied. "You'd be searching forever."

Sighing, he added, "You make an excellent point, Counselor." He adjusted his grip on the fruit before taking a generous bite. It was sweet indeed. Tom closed his eyes, savoring the bite, letting the sensation calm his nerves. Opening his eyes, Tom looked at Cass. "Thanks for the help." Still munching the nectarine, he nodded to the Counselor and headed for the exit.

A thought crossed his mind, and he stopped and turned around. With a quizzical look, he asked, "So... Penny...you know her. As in, known her for a while?"

Cassandra nodded. "We served on another ship together; she was the head nurse, I was the Counselor. She took over my role of 'kid sister of the crew' when she came aboard." She smiled softly.

That implied a lot of things in Tom's mind, but he would save that for another time. If he were to embrace life -- and Penny's zest in the process -- then he needed to take a little initiative. He already sensed her love for nature, and water for that matter, but that was the extent of his knowledge. "Is there anything about her I should know? She's attractive and smart. Love that about her, but there's something there I just can't place my finger on. I don't think it's anything bad..." his voice trailed off looking for the right words. "Almost like she's part Vulcan or was raised by Vulcans." He was likely wrong in asking, and he didn't expect an answer. Tom wanted, after all, only to not hurt her.

Cassandra gave him a slightly sad smile. "Thomas, if there was something about her that I knew in a professional capacity, I wouldn't be able to discuss it with you." She sat down on a stone bench by a pool of water and crossed her legs, smoothing out her dress. "But, speaking as her friend, I can tell you a few things."

She thought for a moment. "If you were to ask Penny how she sees herself, she would say she's a very boring person in a very interesting universe. And the reason she would call herself that, is because when it comes to her personality, what you see is what you get. She has almost no guile. Her blunt honesty and inquisitiveness borders on naivete, and it's easy to understand why that might come off as Vulcan-like. She considers that lack of personal deception to be boring because there is little mystery to it. The rest of the universe, however, is filled with things that make no logical sense, and she takes immense joy in finding those things. Other people tend to top those charts."

"What you need to ask yourself," Cassandra said after giving him a moment to digest her words, "is if you can handle being in a relationship with someone who is going to take delight in the very oddities that make you who you are. In a sense, appreciating you for your imperfections."

She shrugged. "Of course, there is one other thing you could do: you could ask her about herself." She gave him a small smile.

Tom smiled. The Counselor's comments were helpful, but did very little to answer his question. Just like he initially thought, there was more to Penny than met the eye. "Thanks," he said, still smiling, inspired for their next date.

He thought for a moment. Next date? He hadn't considered the last two encounters with Penny to be dates. If one word described their relationship, it would be 'spontaneous'. The next move was his, and he would play it indeed.

Nodding at the Counselor, he bid her a good night and left the Cargo Bay, munching on the nectarine as he returned to his quarters.

Nicole watched him go, making a few mental notes. Thomas' wanderlust had propelled him across the galaxy, but he was so focused on what was ahead of him, he wasn't stopping to look at what was around him long enough to appreciate it. Penny, on the other hand, was faced with the prospect of a lifespan hundreds of thousands of years long and was content to examine every bit of minutiae that came her way, knowing she had time to see the rest later.

Opposites indeed.

She stood up and stretched, looking at her compact and debating about peeking in on Richard again. They were opposites too in many ways, and their first date had been fleeing from Starfleet security across the bare surface of the moon. If they could make it work, then surely anything must be possible.

She placed her compact back in her handbag and walked out of the cargobay, ready for a good night's sleep, and secretly jealous of the new lovebirds who had all the time in the world to be together.


Joint Post

Cassandra Sanders
Ship's Counselor

Thomas Barnes
Transporter Specialist

 

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