Dichotomy

Posted on Tue Feb 26, 2019 @ 12:19am by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD

929 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Plaga Navis
Location: Crew Lounge
Timeline: Day after Dinnertime Confessions

"He flirted with Cass too?" Penny said, surprised.

"And Maggie, Ensign Delacroix, Crewman Phillips, Lieutenant B'trel, and let's not forget those present," Nicole said, looking at Camille. They were sharing a table and keeping their voices low. Nicole was doing her best not to crush the glass in her hand from annoyance.

Camille nodded softly. “Apparently I’m as beautiful without my glasses as with,” she explained with a smile and an equally quiet voice. “And apparently my not being ready for anything was the ‘story of his life’. He was quite forward. Sometimes charming, but always forward.”

"Well, he was right about the glasses at least," Nicole said, smiling a bit.

Camille couldn’t help but smile widely and blush.

Penny smiled slightly as well, watching them, then frowned as a thought came to her. "But why do I feel bad? I knew he didn't have feelings for me. Why does hearing that he propositioned others upset me?" She looked at them both, head tilted in confusion.

“I don’t know,” Camille said. “Feelings like that can be strange. Maybe because he made you feel special, but has been saying similar things to others, so it makes it less special. His lying to get into people’s beds doesn’t help.”

"Maybe because he's a sodding git," Nicole said, then sighed. "Penny this is how people feel when their expectations are one thing, and the reality is another. You're feeling regret. I warned you. You said imagine what you could learn, and now you're learning."

"But..." Penny said, biting her lower lip. "Are we sure he's that bad? Maybe he just honestly doesn't know? I mean...I didn't, so it's possible he doesn't. Right?" She gave them both a look of hopeful naivete.

Nicole was sympathetic, but she could feel her temper flaring. A hand on her arm cooled her, however.

“C’est possible,” Camille allowed. She was trying to reassure Penny, cool Nicole’s temper, and maybe give Zack a tiny bit of the doubt. Not much though. “It’s possible he’s been taught wrong. Watched too many of the wrong holoprograms. It doesn’t excuse it though. He told me that he was always in the wrong place at the wrong time with women and relationships. That’s not something you say to someone when you’ve been intimate with someone else a short while earlier. So I suspect he’s lied to me, you, and most of the women on that list to try to get into their uniforms.”

"So you're left with the choice," Nicole said, taking a breath. "You can get mad, you can sad....or you can continue your studies."

“Studies?” Camille asked. She didn’t fully understand what studies had to do with this.

"I thought he would be an asset in understanding the motivations of men," Penny said. "Sometimes I don't really 'get' people."

Camille nodded. “Well, he’s not the best example,” she said. “You might have better luck with someone else to help that. Someone not quite so motivated by his own physical pleasure. They’re not all willing to lie so easily to get it.”

"Well...." Nicole said, then put up a surrendering hand at Camille's look. "I would say, be a bit more prudent with how you interact with him. If he still tries to get to you, I'll...'talk' with him."

“We’re here for you,” Camille said to Penny. “If you feel different, especially if you feel worse, please come talk to one or both of us.” She smiled. “We’ll do a fun activity to take your mind off of it, or talk it through, or just sit in each other’s company.”

"Thank you," Penny said. "Technically we're doing that now, and I think it's helping." Her head tilted again as she continued to analyze it all. "I'll be all right, I just need time to process all this." She looked up at the two of them. "Is it easier when you're both women?"

Nicole looked at Camille and smiled sweetly. "You want to field this one?"

Camille blushed, and playfully and gently punched Nicole in the shoulder. “Honnêtement? Non. It can be easier in some ways, but people are complicated regardless of sex or gender. What makes it easier is when the person means a lot to you.”

"And when he isn't a git," Nicole said. "Don't be so quick to rush back to a serious romance. There are a lot of options out there. You should explore them."

“I don’t know you very well yet, Penny,” Camille admitted, “but that sounds like good advice to me.”

Penny's head stayed tilted and finally she blinked a few times and sat up straight, sighing and rubbing her temples. "Humans," she sighed. "Well, if you two will excuse me, I have to write a letter home. I'll see you both later." She stood up and smiled at them, leaving the lounge for her quarters.

Camille looked at Nicole and smiled. “Do you think she’ll be okay?” she asked.

Nicole's smile dropped as Penny walked away. "She better be," she said. "Otherwise I'd start worrying about him."

Gently taking Nicole’s hand, Camille said “It’s okay, Nicole. Relax a moment. Let’s get some food. And why don’t you tell me some stories? I’d love to hear about some of the things you’ve done before we met!”

Nicole smiled in spite of her mood. "All right," she said. "I'm sure I can dredge a few up."

 

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