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Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #25 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: @Griff  
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Not for the first time, Natalie was reminded why the Federation in general, and humanity in particular, had so many centuries old sayings that started with the words 'Beware of Romulan's...' In this point, it was the impish smile on the non-com officer's face as she latched onto Natalie's slip up with an eager intensity. She was curious, and unlike her Vulcan' cousins, did not simply restrain herself to only a delicately arched eyebrow of interest.  No, to Natalie it seemed as if her pilot had put her whole body into the smile, leaning forward, looking to delve into whatever little secrets that Natalie might divulge. Perhaps it was a bit of her imagination to exaggerate the situation.  That Lillee drew the correct inferences only made matters well, not worse, but more readily apparent. In short, there was nothing else for it. 

"Well, when you put it like that," she said, rolling her eyes just a little bit. In for a penny in for a pound. This was a chance to get a little more insight into her friends culture, even if her 'friend' wasn't a typical Romulan woman. The promise of shared stories seemed a nice compromise, and it would pass the time in a fashion considerably less boring than watching the consoles around them, or reading reports might have. She gave a little shrug and flopped back into her chair, adopting a much more relaxed and less professional pose. Wringing her fingers together and resting her hands on her stomach, Natalie began. 

"For context, as I noted before, Vanya and I attended Starfleet Academy together. I think she may very well have been the first Romulan through the Academy. I'm not entirely sure on that. She was a...novel idea of a student in any event. We roomed together for the duration. Became fast friends. Her first encounter with me involved her insisting we get proper measurements so we could use the Academy replicators to make better fitting uniforms - just to give you an idea about how she is." Natalie laughed at the moment now, years removed, that had nearly mortified her at the time.  "When you meet your new roommate and she's got pointed ears, smiles and suggests a make over you're either dealing with a crazy Vulcan or...Vanya."

Fondly setting that memory aside, she jumped ahead. "Well, I didn't expect to run into her in the Azure Nebula, in any event, nor rescue her from the Borg, along with the rest of her ship. I certainly didn't expect her to get stuck aboard the Theurgy, nor come face to face with her right before we blew up a transwarp hub. And I really wasn't prepared for the notion that, now that she was back around in my life, she wanted to see if maybe uh...." this was the complicated bit, "Friends might not be the right descriptor." yes, she was blushing.

Coughing, she cut to the chase. "Flash forward to Aldea, and Commander Ducote, in his infinite wisdom, kicked me off the ship for 48 hours of mandatory leave. So I dragged Vanya along. and the very first thing I do when I step off the pad on Aldea Prime is hold my hand out to her. And just...knowing now what I didn't know then..." She shook her head and laughed. "I can't tell if I inadvertently propositioned her right from the get go. Some of her later behavior that night makes more sense now, in light of my actions."

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #26 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Epsilon Mynos System ] Attn: @Brutus

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Lillee had to restrain a very undignified giggle at that, covering her mouth. She could easily imagine it now; the poor smitten Vanya, holding hands with her clueless friend, excited beyond belief at the contact. "Oh my. Yes, Commander, that is...um...well, it's a provocative gesture. I'm sure that Vanya has lived among humans long enough to understand that it doesn't mean the same thing for you, but if she was already attracted to you and seeking more, then yes. You probably...excited...her. It'd be...oh, what is the equivalent...um...it'd be like someone kissing you on the cheek at the start of a date. It puts you in a certain fame of mind, yes?"

Which brought to mind another question, and one that Lillee could hardly resist. Nevertheless, it would be a bit mean to cut directly to the chase, and Lillee found herself liking Stark too much to deliberately embarrass her. "What sort of later behaviour did she exhibit?" she asked instead, making a mental note to look up Vanya at some point. Stark clearly thought the world of the girl, and Lillee found herself profoundly curious. Besides, it wasn't every day that she got to meet another rihanna.

Well, besides Drauc, but that man was an enigma wrapped in a phantom with telepathic powers. Even weeks later, Lillee still wasn't sure how she felt about that man.

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #27 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: @Griff  
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Hindsight was 20/20, or so Natalie had been told, a saying particularly archaic given that almost everyone in the Federation - well all humans not allergic to Retinax V in any event - had 20/20 vision, but all the same, it applied quite well here. Lilliee provided the cultural context that Natalie had lacked when she'd beamed down alongside Vanya at the start of her leave. The analogy given did bring back to mind for Natalie a series of kisses that had been shared over the evening, and thus her rosy red completion remained in place as she listened. She had started that damn bit too, with kisses to the girls knuckles. Christ, short of throwing yourself at her naked could you have advertised intentions any louder?

Something of it must have shown on her face. At least her pilot was enjoying herself, judging by the small reactions that Natalie was seeing. She was no trained counselor, able to discern everything about a person by their verbal and nonverbal cues but she was getting much better at the whole interacting with other people thing. You kind of had to, after years in the service, and Natalie had been making much more of an effort along those lines ever since coming to Aldea. She'd had responsibility thrust on her shoulders when the countenance protocol had been enacted and ever since she'd been trying to live up to that. Which meant getting a better read on people in short. Just because she was aware of all of this didn't make the moment any easier however. But Lillee was enjoying herself and Nat didn't detect anything malicious in her intentions so she just sighed and got on with it. 

"Oh, hell, where to begin. It was all sorts of little things that built into very big things, really," there was an air of embarrassment yes, but also amused exasperation. "From almost the moment I took her hand there was some form of physical contact, and just, a blatant disregard for the notion of personal space. Not that I minded, as long as I didn't think about it too much. Any excuse for a hip to bump or flingers to touch. Lots of hand holding over dinner. Um...you mentioned kisses' and there were some of those though uh...again, I think I did that first." She shrugged at the look she got and hurried to add, "She was being all cute and reassuring and I didn't know what to say so I kinda just kissed her knuckles cuase it seemed liek the right thing to do at the time."

Yes, Natalie felt very much like a schoolgirl again with her first crush. And...it was not an inaccurate description all in all. She let out a heavy sigh, laughed at herself a bit, and then asked. "Do Romulans play footsie? Cause Vanya sure did..." Rubbing the back of her neck, she glanced over at the console for a moment and then elaborated. "If there's one thing she takes glee in, its making me squirm. Right as the waiter came back the first night, at dinner, she snuck her bare foot right up the back of my leg and up under my dress and well...yeah. And I swear that man knew what she was doing, because he kept making 'helpful' suggestions about what to have for dessert, and would we like Raktajino or an aperitif with that?' and just....ugh" She threw her hands up in an exaggerated fashion, before giggling. "Clearly they were both in on it."

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #28 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Epsilon Mynos System ] Attn: @Brutus

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"Footsie?" Lillee repeated, perplexed, then as Stark explained, her look of confusion turned into interest. 'Footsie' indeed. Doing it in such a public place was certainly risqué, perhaps a little too much for Lillee's taste, but nevertheless, she noted it for future reference. She was never one to forget a fun game, and the word 'footsie' did sound cute. Human languages were certainly odd, but they had their quirks that made Lillee smile.

"Probably," Lillee answered at the last, smiling. "Vanya sounds so daring, but you don't seem to mind her adventuring...?" An understatement to be sure; Stark was positively glowing. It was, Lillee noted, a pleasant change. She remembered the commander back in the Azure Nebula; stressed, exhausted, thrust into responsibility she wasn't ready for with the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. It made for a wonderful contrast; Vanya clearly had a positive effect.

"So did you?" Lillee teased with a conspiratorial smile, deliberately leaving her question vague. "Squirm?"

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #29 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: @Griff  
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Given that Natalie had not been paying attention originally when she booked the Higgs for this little maintenance jaunt to check out the wayward Aldea communications relay, and had no hand in selecting the pilot that ended up accompanying her, it was to be understood that Natalie had not planned on unburdening herself upon the only other Romulan officer currently assigned to the Theurgy's crew. Needless to say when she woke up she had not looked in the mirror and plotted the course that the afternoon and evening had unfolded into. With that in mind, Natalie nevertheless took advantage of the situation and dumped a ton of what amounted to pent-up gossip onto the Romulan non-com in what was very much an 'un-officer-like' fashion. But it was very much cathartic, and neither Natalie nor Lillee had anything better to do with their time as they made their slow journey back to the KDF dockyards with the sabotaged relay in tow.

She saw that Lillee didn't quite grasp the term at first, but her explanation - accompanied by a gesture in which Nat stretched out her own left leg toes pointed in her boot, rising it up without quite touching the other woman (she was short after all, and wasn't nearly as 'friendly' with her pilot as she was with Vanya) got the general gist across. The blonde seemed amused by the whole notion in any event. "This was my punishment for wearing an actual dress. I should have known better than to give her such an opportunity." She might have sounded a tad miffed but it was mostly for show. As Lillee had noticed already, the Ops officer was practically glowing, almost two weeks after the trip. 

"Well...no. It was...nice to be sought after like that. It - if it's something that's happened in the past, it went completely over my head." Natalie admitted, biting her lip. There had in fact been those that were interested in Natalie, and as she'd noted, it had almost all gone over her head, prior to her posting to Theurgy. Since then however, there had been a few overtures and one outright encounter that she wished she could, in hindsight, take back. Her old friend and new...well, Vanya, seemed determined to help her get past that little hang up in the most direct fashion she could think of.  In any event, no one up until that point had shoved their foot up Natalie's dress. "For what it is worth one doesn't join Starfleet if they don't want at least a little adventure. I just hadn't counted on that specific aspect of her adventurous nature. I really should have known better though, its not like I didn't spend the entire tenure at the Academy as her roommate."

The Romulan in the shuttle cut to the heart of the matter with a glancing little blow, a sideways swipe to tease her further, yet again hammering home the notion that Natalie was a school girl discussing her first crush and not a member of a ship's senior staff. Nevermind that being able to relax like this was a healthy sign of positive growth. She blushed as red as the collar on Lillee's shirt - again. "I - uh...well, that would be an accurate description of the entire rest of the meal, actually." Just how many more words was she going to use to simply say 'yes'? "She was very ah, thorough in those efforts, and I swear everyone could tell too." Had see been less intoxicated she might not have been as comfortable with what had transpired as she had been, but now, weeks removed, she certainly didn't regret the situation, or how the rest of the weekend had unfolded, for that matter. 

Besides, she probably needed to air it all out with someone, and she couldn't exactly go off and gush to Ducote, or God forbid, Captain Ives.

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #30 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Epsilon Mynos System ] Attn: @Brutus

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Lillee couldn't help a giggle then, covering her mouth to stifle it. "Thorough indeed," she commented with a grin and waggling eyebrows, struggling to stop herself from giggling even more. "If you blushed then as much as you're doing now, Commander, I'm sure that Vanya was having just as much fun as you. Maybe more."

The shuttle shook slightly, interrupting the girls' collective tittering, prompting Lillee to return to work. "Fluctuation in the warp field, starboard," she said as she read her  readouts, adopting a more professional tone, although Lillee was still smiling slightly as she tapped at her console. "The relay is unstable in the tractor lock, it's creating a micro-vortex in our warp field and slowing us. The nacelles and warp drive feel stable, but I think we should increase the M/AM core ratio anyway, just to be safe. The dilithium crystals on this shuttle are fresh from the Klingons, so they can handle a little extra strain until we get back to the Theurgy."

By now, Lillee was back to being professional, working the problem. It was a minor issue and quickly solved by her and Stark, but nevertheless, it was addressed seriously. It was only after Lillee was confident that the issue was solved, after feeling the movement of the shuttle through her ass and feet and judging it to be right, that she glanced at Stark. A fresh question burned in her brain, and it was one she needed an answer to if she was going to leave the shuttle satisfied.

"So," she began tentatively, "forgive me, but I am curious. You are, of course, free to say no to my question, Commander." A lie; Lillee would get the answer even if she had to pin Stark to the floor and tickle it out of the human. "Was that your first time finding pleasure with someone beside yourself?" Lillee's waggling eyebrows left no doubt as to her meaning. "Or your first time discovering pleasure with another woman?"

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #31 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: @Griff  
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The Ops Chief blew out a gust of air from between her lips in something that was a mix of a sigh and a snort. "I have always been blessed with a somewhat pale skin that has never once allowed me to hide how I feel about anything. Worse poker player ever, or so I've been told, and I'd make a poor diplomat because I'd give it all away any time someone got under my skin. Needless to say I'm certain I was as red as your undershirt for the entirety of the meal." Natalie was plenty well aware of some of her own foibles at the very least, and she had always been a blusher. "As such I'm sure you're equally right, and Vanya enjoyed herself tremendously from this alone."

Further conversation was stalled by the warbling beep coming off the main console and the slight shudder that worked its way along the small shuttlecraft, despite the well tuned inertial dampers. Both women swung around, in unison, to check their controls and read outs, and Natalie listened along as she verified with her eyes what the Romulan pilot was telling her. Those plump lips thinned out as she looked over a graphical representation of the warp field, and concluded that Lillee had the right of it. A glance over at the intermix chamber monitor confirmed the suggestions, and she gave a terse nod, tapping out a few commands. "Make it so," she noted aloud, verbally confirming what both women knew would happen. The logic was sound, the suggestion the best option forward, and the crystals in the core could handle the strain just fine. There was no reason not to do as the petty officer had purposed, and Natalie had learned to listen to people when they knew what they were talking about. Even as an Assistant Chief she'd picked up on that, and further responsibility had forced her to lean on that lesson more and more. 

Of course if she always followed that logic she would have sent out one of her junior officers on this little quest, but if she had, well, there wouldn't be this most enlightening and embarrassing conversation unfolding, would there? Sometimes indulging was justified.

Natalie would later swear that, as the ship settled back down, she could hear the gears spinning between Lillee's pointed ears ahead of the question that was asked. The two shared a look, and then the blonde carefully broached the subject that was weighed on her. Trepidation wormed its way down Natalie's spine as the impish nature flashed across the non-coms expression. Too clever by half, Nat decided with a soft groan. She shut her eyes and rubbed her brow with those delicate fingers, leaning back into the chair and once more easing herself into a casual setting. Running her tongue over her teeth she asked, "Is it that obvious?"

Clearly, it was. Shrugging, having gone this far already, she decide there was little point in denying the obvious, and removing any ambiguity from Lillee's end of things. "While I've never been what one might call as experienced - naïve and sheltered would be great words," a hint of bitterness there, having cut herself off from that sort of possibility for years due to all the trauma surrounding her brothers passing and processing that grief - the Ops officer pushed on. "Its more of a case of the latter than the former, though admittedly not by all that long." Baggage was clear there. "Sadly very few of us that survived the events on Niga can claim to be utterly inexperienced. That was a truth, but not the whole truth. Natalie didn't wish to dwell on that however, and pushed it aside, focusing on the still embarrassing, but at least the butterfly inducing warmth of the subject of her former Academy roommate and her current place in Nat's life.

"But before Vanya came back into my life the notion of...exploring possibilities with a woman had never been on my sensor read out."

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #32 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Epsilon Mynos System ] Attn: @Brutus

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Lillee winced at the mention of Niga. The event had been months ago, but nevertheless, it was still a very dark specter upon everyone who had survived it. She still counted herself profoundly lucky that she'd been safe in a medical stasis pod during that nightmare, but she couldn't imagine what Stark had endured personally while Lillee had slept.

Sensing that Stark was changing the subject, Lillee went along with it. She glanced around the shuttle interior, listening to the steady thrum of the warp drive as she pondered what to say. "It's different than with men," she said, "even besides the anatomical differences. Being with other women is more...gentle. Compassionate. Comfortable. It's like being with your best friend...well, with you and Vanya, it's exactly that. A woman will...should...take care of you, and you, her. It's a team effort, yes? Just like in bed, you both play your part. You both reciprocate. It's an equal partnership."

Lillee quirked her head slightly. "I have been with many women." She paused, blinked at her own words, then laughed, shaking her head. "That was more...how you say...shameless than I intended? I mean to say, I have much experience with dating other women. Some Romulans, a couple of humans, a Bajoran, a Vulcan. If you have any questions about anything, I am happy to help."

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #33 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: @Griff  
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Listening to Lillee explain the birds and bees of laying with another woman was a truly unique experience that Natalie was, on the whole, grateful for. Even if she could feel the heat returning to her cheeks, yet again. Oh well, there was no help for it, and she'd already told Lillee she was prone to blushing like a schoolgirl with her first crush. Ironic really, as it was quite an apt description. She'd met Vanya at school, and she had been crushing pretty hard on her from the moment it became apparent that they might be more than friends. Again, that had all been kicked off by Vanya's actions, but the end result was much the same. She was hopelessly smitten with her old friend, and listening to the other woman talking about the possibilities of how a relationship between two women might, or should, or could work, was simply enchanting. 

Remembering the trip out on the boat...well, there was something to be said for it all, she decided.

"Oh, a little brazen, maybe," Natalie allowed, with a low chuckle and shake of her head. She wrung her fingers together and smiled at that, pressing the thumb of her left hand into the palm of her right in another nervous gesture. Natalie seemed to be full of those, even if she were considerably more calm that one might expect in such a situation.  Shrugging her shoulders a bit, she thought back to her trip, and the moments since, the closeness, that joy that came with new territory, a new relationship. The bubbly feeling she got when she saw her friend. Her...well. She had no idea that a truly silly smile had spread across her face. Completely smitten indeed. 

"However, far be it from me to turn down an opportunity to pick the brain of someone so uh...worldly? Hell, I don't know the right word for it." she giggled at her own attempt to sound clever, and again it felt as if, for now, rank did not exist. Easier to be two women, chatting about lovers and relationships, than a Lt. Commander conversing with a subordinate non comm. "I haven't dated for a very long time. Not seriously. There was one or two, back before the Academy but I'm God, years out of practice in general, let alone with how to go about things with a woman." She had to confess. Even those few dates in finishing school had been brief and disastrous. Her head and heart just weren't in the right place for it. Too many gaping wounds that hadn't yet healed. Here and now though, was a different story entirely. "Never mind not having the foggiest idea of uh....physical technique. I figured out the bare bone basics but still."

Letting out an embarrassed sigh at that, she shrugged and looked over all helplessly toward the other woman. "Are there ....hmm, any sort of cultural taboos around this that I might need to worry about bumping up against? Not that Vanya seems to give much of a damn, but I didn't have a clue about the fascination with hands for instance. What is courting like for your people? Let alone, for two women?" She didn't really know how much she didn't know, and finding the right questions to ask was something of a fascinating challenge. A pause, and then, curiosity getting the best of her. "Also, a Vulcan?" How oh how had that come about?

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #34 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Warp Transit ] Attn: @Brutus

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"Vulcans aren't all walking computers," Lillee said with a conspiratorial grin, folding her hands in her lap. "The Vulcan I dated was remarkable. We used to spend all evening just talking, playing kal'toh while my children slept, or watching trashy Vulcan vids from the a century ago. Vulcans may suppress their emotions, but they're still people, just as capable of love as anyone else. T'Fey was as stuck up as any Vulcan, but she was a fantastic lover after a little tuition."

At that, Lillee paused, thinking. "Customs, though? Speaking true, I can't think of anything obvious, but there are many types of rihanna. If Vanya is a hearthworld girl, she might have all sorts of silly customs. Tea ceremonies, careful terms of address, all of that...um...stuff. They're very touchy about such things like nudity and courting etiquette on ch'Rihan and ch'Havran...apologies. Romulus and Remus. The people from the twin worlds are more...refined...than the rest of us."

Lillee blushed then, a slight green hue in her cheeks, biting her lip in embarrassment. "If she's from the rimward colonies, at least short of Vah'nor near the Klingons, she'd be different. Rougher, more direct. They're good simple folk, mostly, so romance with them is simple enough. The people from the coreward colonies, like me, are considered more eccentric, more varied, more liberal; each colony is unique and has its own culture, but most rihanna from there are wild and carefree both romantically and sexually. Now, the rihanna from the border worlds near the Federation are the craziest. They're paranoid, reputed to be untrustworthy, bound up in the military culture of always preparing for the Federation invasion. I never had a good experience with a rihannsu from those worlds. They're insane...which means Vanya probably isn't from there."

Lillee winced. "I apologise, I am rambling. I do not talk about these things often. It may be best to simply talk to Vanya, yes? Communication is crucial to any relationship. As customs go, there is nothing substantially important that is true for all rihanna..." She trailed off, glancing at her console before realisation struck. "Oh. I will offer some advice. Whatever happens, however it happens...stay faithful. Stay true to your word and to her. Don't betray her. If it ends, end it amicably. Few of my species are forgiving, and mnhei'sahe is very important to most rihanna. If you hurt her, she will likely react...um...poorly. Very poorly."


rihanna: female Romulan (both singular and plural)
rihannsu: male Romulan (both singular and plural)
mnhei'sahe: a deeply complex term that roughly translates to "Ruling Passion" and had countless meanings depending on context within Romulan culture

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #35 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: 
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"You mean to tell me the Vulcan's have been lying to me all these years, and they're not all emotionless automatons wrapped in a fleshly exterior that eat breath and excrete logic every hour of the day, awake or asleep?" Natalie asked in as startled and clearly kidding a tone as she could manage, before bursting into a fit of giggles. " Almost every Vulcan I have met has been reserved and stoic, but welcoming in their own way. I will admit however that I had been under the impression that they were very uh...restrained and reserved when it came to mating. Which is to say, they only did it when biology drove them towards it. The whole Pon Farr thing isn't nearly as big a secret as it used to be. Kind of like how no one back in the 23rd century really knew that Trills had symbionts and the like, but everyone knows now?"

Based on the conversation between herself and Lillee, it was clear that Vulcan's did not only indulge in sex when they were driven by a need to procreate. Especially given that the person in question was a female as well, this T'Fey that Lillee had been with in the past. "I cannot imagine anything a Vulcan created would be considered 'trashy' though. I am going to have to look that up latter." Another mirthful giggle followed her words, and she was excited at the prospect of poking around that subject.

As novel a notion as that was, Natalie quickly set it all aside and leaned forward as she listened to Lillee give a very brief cultural overview of the Romulan people. While Nat had heard some of it at the Academy, and more so in the pre mission briefing when Theurgy had accompanied Captain Riker's Titan during the diplomatic overture after Shinzon, it was different, hearing it all from the perspective of someone that grew up in the Romulan Empire. It was, dare she say, fascinating. And it wsa more in-depth than what Vanya could provide. Wile the later had somewhat of an academic knowledge of her people, from her 'mother', she lacked the real firsthand experience of being immersed in the population, outside of missions. Isolated was an understatement. 

She couldn't help but snort a laugh out though, when Lillee was describing some of the cultural taboos of those that came from the Romulan home worlds, or hearthworld, as the Romulan had put it. "Oh, God, no, Vanya certainly doesn't fit that mold at all. Sure, she'd enjoyed a cup of tea from time to time, but well...she's something of an unrepentant nudist at times. Definitely no taboo or shyness for her there. So That crosses off ch'Rihan and ch'Havran." She tired the names out for herself, working her tongue around the Alien pronunciation. She had a decent grasp on the basics of Romulan - she could recognize it when she heard it, and knew more than a few words, but wasn't conversational, and Lillee's dialect differed from some of her other encounters with others.  I started trying to learn the language better before the mission to Romulus. I really aught to buckle down and finish learning it properly. In my copious amounts of free time.

"She never told me exactly where she was from and I never pried too much," Natalie admitted. She didn't ask for the specifics of the super secret hidden away base where Vanya was created and trained. Felt rude really. "Based on her personality though it sounds like she was more one of these rim-ward colonials. Though she mentioned once her mother could be quite paranoid. It seems that Vanya wasn't gifted that particular trait. Or if she was, she has the control to reign it in."

Her expression sobered somewhat as Lillee gave her that crystal clear warning. She nodded once in a slow, measured motion. "Things are so new that I can't even bring myself to think about them not working out or I think I'd spiral into a cirlce of 'what if's' again, but your point is well taken." Swallowing, and knowing it made her sound like a besotted schoolgirl again, she found herself saying. "She just came back into my life. I can't even begin to imagine hurting her."

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #36 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Epsilon Mynos System ] Attn: @Brutus

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Lillee smiled warmly at the last. "That's a good place to start from," she said approvingly. "Not all relationships start so peacefully and well. Truly, I nearly killed my husband a couple of times at the beginning. He was an enemy spy at the time, but it was a difficult start to our relationship nevertheless."

Pausing, Lillee looked back at her console, running a quick sensor scan and finding nothing. She didn't seriously expect any problems given how close they were to Aldea now; a flight of Wolves could respond to a distress call in a matter of minutes, after all. Nevertheless, the sensor scan helped Lillee set her mind at ease, and she scratched her cranial ridge in idle thought.

"Honestly Commander, I would love to meet Vanya one day, if you're comfortable with it," she said pleasantly, looking Stark in the eye. "The more you speak about her, the more I like her. Well, I like you both, honestly. It is a weakness of mine. When I see a couple who enjoy each other, as you and Vanya do, I become invested in them being happy. I become a...uh...what is the word? Happy...leader? No." Lillee frowned before she remembered. "Cheerleader! Yes, that is it. It warms my heart to see you so content after what we all endured in the Azure Nebula."

With that, Lillee folded her hands in her lap, still smiling. "Do you have any other questions about dating a Romulan?"

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #37 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | USS Theurgy | Aldean Orbit ]Attn: @Griff  
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From the sounds of what she was being told, Lillee had quite the history of relationships. Nat found herself restraining a small guffaw at the notion of the lithe Romulan pilot nearly killing her future husband. "I can see how cross-governmental relationships could be somewhat oh, shall we say feisty at the start of things? Never mind cross species." That at least she well knew. Despite Vanya's obvious Romulan heritage the woman was at odds with her own people as she was with the Federation, less so the latter in some ways and more so the former. So she didn't quite consider it the same thing. Besides, she had met Vanya after the Android had decided to emigrate to the Federation. It sounded as if Lillee met her husband while he was 'behind enemy lines' as it was. "I have to admit, hooking up with a spy does sound like the plot for many a holo-drama romance."

Perhaps, given the other woman's level of interest, Natalie should have expected Lillee to express a desire to meet Vanya. On the one hand, Nat certainly didn't feel as if she had any right to control who did and did not interact with the android. She was not Vanya's keeper, and any partner who tried to restrict access to their other half ...well that wasn't the sign of a healthy relationship. (This was formed solely on the copious amounts of research that Natalie had conducted, having a rather wide dearth of experience on the subject in practicality). On the other hand she wasn't entirely sure how comfortable she was with the notion, having just gushed about her relationship and exposed quite a bit about Vanya and herself to someone that was an outside perspective. In the end however, she couldn't relaly think up any sort of valid justification to say no. The look of surprise on her forehead at the request had morphed into one of consideration, and she rather felt touched by the compliments and revelations that had been slipped into the request. 

And it wasn't as if there was a rule against commissioned officers having friends among the enlisted personnel. Even most fraternization rules on the subject were limited solely to direct chain of command. And even then, those rules were not terribly strictly involved had given any prior reason to question their sense of duty. Usually. But if she turtled off down that train of thought she'd end up letting the question hang in the air too long and things would get awkward (more awkward than they had started out as) and Nat had no desire to let that happen, even if she did consider herself a socially awkward individual. 

"I think that she would like to meet you. Though I haven't really seen her interact with other Romulans, so I suppose I have no real basis for an idea of how the two of you would get along, I'd like to think it would be just fine thought, and I'm sure it is something we can make happen. I would obviously have to let her know of course and make sure she was fine with the idea." There was no reason to spring something like that on Vanya, unawares. Her smile was warm and perhaps a bit tinged with embarrassment, but there was nothing new there. Having a 'cheerleader' rooting for her to hit it off with her friend was a novel idea, and she decided she rather liked that. This mission had shaped up to be considerably more pleasing than she had expected on the outset, to say the least.

"I think part of my problem is that I don't know enough to ask the right questions. What's the saying...'I don't know what I don't know?' I think.." she laughed a bit and shrugged, leaning back in her chair again, favoring her right side now, weight shifted accordingly. "Which is to say I'm sure there should be a million questions about dating Romulans that I wouldn't even realize to ask."

Re: Day 32 [1330 hrs.] Fly Me Away...To That Comms Relay

Reply #38 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Higgs (NX-79854/03) | Epsilon Mynos System ] Attn: @Brutus

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Lillee grinned back at Stark. "That is the fun of it, yes? Where's the adventure of a relationship when you already know everything at the beginning? I always hear that you humans are natural explorers, and this is just another type of exploration, yes? Exploration of culture, of the heart, of the mind, of the body. It's plenty of fun, too. Especially that last bit, yes?"

An insistent beeping sounded then, and without hesitation, Lillee turned to her console and began working the controls. "Taking us out of warp." Outside the distinctive warp field collapsed, revealing the distinctive blue world that was the destination, thronged with space traffic and space stations. "Tractor beam is holding, Commander. Setting a course for the Theurgy. I suggest cutting the relay loose when we get to within a hundred meters of the ship. The tractor beams can bring it in safely from there after we land."

Lillee paused, glancing at Stark. "If you have need of a pilot in the future, I would welcome the chance to fly with you again. Respectfully, you are good company, Commander. I may not provide the same sort of company that Vanya does, but given time, I can give you advice that will enable you to make her absolutely scream in bed, truly..."

- FIN

GM NOTE: Locked at Brutus' request.
 
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