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CH02: S [D06|0630] Black Coffee, Red Tea

Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black Coffee, Red Tea

[ Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
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@Nolan

Quote
Bila ran, trying desperately to save his life.The ground was uneven, and it made him stumble and wobble unstable. Hidden branches, fierce creatures full of claws and nameless horrors tried to seize him. They scratched his face, pulled his hair, bited, strangled. The hybrid looked back, looking for his pursuer with maddened eyes, but he couldn't distinguish anything in the darkness that surrounded him. Only a pitch-black darkness, unshaped and threatening. He gasped when the ground suddenly disappeared under his feet. He tumbled and rolled, deeper and deeper. When his fall stopped, there was something wet and warm under his hands. Bila didn't want to know what it was, he didn't want to recognize the corpses under his fingers, but he could not help knowing what they were. He tried to get back on his feet, but the mass of dead bodies seemed to move away under him like shifting sands, engulfing him. He struggled to get out of that embrace that was trying to drown him, but it was useless. When only his head protruded from the sea of corpses, a light lit his face. Bila narrowed his eyes, unable to endure the brightness after being enveloped in the most absolute darkness. "Sorry boy," whispered sadly the motherly voice of Counsellor Ejek . "You should not be here," Dr. Parnak's voice continued, his polite tone trying to hide the sentence that permeated his words. Bila opened his mouth, ready to express the terror he felt in a desperate cry...



... The half-cardassian woke up fully alert, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He was breathing agitatedly, as if he had been running for hours. He had enveloped himself in the blanket cocoon that he'd replicated the night before, trying to control the shiver that had taken over his body, half-heartedly by the cold air that had crept into his shelter somewhere up to find his gray skin. In most part because he was terrified. He balled his body in the warm darkness of his shelter until he was able to returned his breathing and heart rate to normal parameters. The tremor took longer to subside.

When he was about to calm down completely, a hideous reek filled his nostrils. The scientist wrinkled his ridged nose, perceiving the mixture of the smell of booze, the stink of smoke (he was almost convinced that it wasn't just tobacco smoke) and ... body odor?!?!?! The hybrid got rid of the blanket that was wrapped around him and walked away from that stinking thing, crawling to the other side of the couch where he had spent the night. "Computer, lights, dim," he growled, his throat dry and scratchy.

Little by little, the lamps illuminated the main living area of Ravon's quarters. On the table in front of the sofa there were a couple of ashtrays where rested some butts and to their side, a pair of almost empty glasses. Beside, Izar's neat folded uniform rested incoherently. But none of those things was what had separated him from the spot where he'd been resting his head. Bila crawled on the sofa, letting the blankets fall to the floor, exposing his slender body, barely covered by a thermal tank top and boxers shorts. Then his gaze reached to see over what had been resting. An undershirt. Obviously used. Obviously too small to belong to Tom. Obviously from a female. "Good grief Bird-brain! What the fuck is wrong with you?" He groaned loudly. He made evident efforts to try that his mind didn't gloat in the circumstances that had taken to that shirt to be left in that exact spot of the couch, or in the hodgepodge of fluids of different nature that could impregnate it. He did not want to know. HE DID NOT NEED TO KNOW. But his overactive imagination and slightly neurotic nature was already pondering over the most disgusting options. The vast majority of them physically impossible for most humanoid beings.

Rubbing the bottom part of the ridge that surrounded his right eye, the hybrid stood on his feet and headed towards the replicator. Trying to go back to sleep was going to be an impossible task, and although he would appreciate a sonic shower, he was not willing to wake up his mate going through his  bedroom to do it. No way, and even less in those moments when he wasn't even sure that the birdman was sleeping alone. He skimmed through the basic uniform options and replicated a running shirt, a sweatpants and a hoodie to keep himself warm till he could reach the shower. When he had stuffed himself into the sports clothes, he felt slightly better, but still grossed by having woken up over a garment previously worn by an unknown female.

Then, he replied a cup of red-leaf tea, without the kava juice with which he used to mix it. He hesitated a moment and finally synthesized a cup of plain coffee. Black, strong, molten lava temperature. He manipulated the parameters of the replicator so that the cup of coffee had a lot more caffeine than the non-replicated coffee would have naturally. Bila had the feeling that the day that was starting was going to need an extra caffeine dose.

He took the cup of tea between his hands, letting the heat radiate from the porcelain to his skin, while he let the fragrant smell of the concoction flooded his nose. He walked to the window that occupied a good part of the room and watched the blue glow of the Azure Nebula through the glass as he took the first sip of the bitter drink. It was a frankly beautiful panorama, despite the horrors that concealed its swirls of turquoise dust.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #1 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
@Numen

The light dimmed lights were enough to stir Ravon in his sleep as he rolled over to his left before turning back to his right. The sound of the replicator eventually opened his eyes and as soon as the smell of caffeine hit his nose he yawned as he looked at the clock. He slowly straightened himself up in the bed and sat upright as he looked around in his room. It didn't take long before he remembered the room guest he had in the common area.

Izar Bila had been a friend that had been with Thomas for a long portion of his life. They had met for the first time aboard the Thunderhild. Their friendship starting there and the two of them becoming rather close throughout their joined stationing there. When they had switched ships they had kept in contact through mails and sorts, yet they never really found the time to get back together to meet in the flesh so to speak.

That was until earlier today or was it yesterday by now? The Cardassian, Bajoran hybrid arriving with the Allegiant after following the Borg that had hit the Cayuga. Thomas had offered the scientist his quarters to spend the night, until they'd find him decent quarters.It was the least he could do for the scoundrel as he probably was the closest thing he had to family. Thomas yawned once more before he got up and walked over to the bathroom on bare feet. He washed his face up and pulled on a sweatpants, leaving his torso nude as he made his way to the common area.

The doors hissed open as his eyes quickly adapted to the dimmed lights. His eyes quickly located the scientist as he sat by the viewport and stared out at the nebula "Morning Izar." he called out to him as he walked over to man and he looked down at the coffee mug "That looks suspiciously a lot like what I used to drink on the Thunderchild." he grinned before he took the cup, assuming it was made for him.

Standing besides Izar Thomas looked at the nebula as well as he bumped lightly into his friend "How did you sleep?"

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #2 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
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@Nolan

When the hiss of the door announced Thomas’ arrival, Bila hid his smile behind his tea mug,  taking a small sip. There were few people in the whole quadrant who could be more different from each other than the scientist and the pilot. And yet, Thomas Ravon was one of the few people in whom the hybrid really trusted, one of the few people with whom he had shared parts of himself and his past that were normally hidden under layers and layers of politeness, want to please and playful comebacks. One of the few people around whom he could really relax with and be just himself. It was like coming home after a long time. He was his best friend, and despite the differences, there were more things that they shared than separated them.

"I think that's more or less what you used to drink in the Thunderchild." Confirmed the chemist by way of greeting. "But every time we meet again after a while, you seem beefier than ever, so I've had to dress it a tiny bit. I need to keep my concoctions on the top level for you " continued with a playful smirk. The phrase sounded ominous, as if he was using the pilot as a lab rat for some strange experiment. It was further from reality. He loved to tease Tom that way, even when his ministrations were mostly harmless. Most times. After all, he was a chemist, not a doctor.

Without facing the owner of the quarter, he listened as Tom took the cup and approached where he stood, friendly bumping him. The smile of the half-cardassian widened and Bila answered to the tease with a banterly nudge, a limp bang without intention to hurt. Finally he spinned around to look at the human, turning his back on the nebula. Izar remained silent looking up and down at his friend. He seemed the same as the last time he saw him, and at the same time, more mature. More tired.

"I've had nightmares, as expected" He replied at last. The hybrid rarely had peaceful dreams, usually haunted by half-suppressed memories of his past in Bajor. Terrible experiences that had lived that his brain had tried to forget assailed him in dreams, mixing reality with the folly of dreams until it was a frightening amalgam. Half of their drinking binges that has tightened the bonds between they two had begun with the need to fill a night of insomnia and drown the sorrows and horrors of both in moonshined alcohol. Or in poker games. Or in what Ravon called R&R that used to end up with the chemist puzzled or slightly bruised. But whenever Bila had let himself to be dragged by Tom into some of his crazy occurrences, he'd had a good time. Only totally out of his comfort zone.

"But what has chased me more than the nightmares has been this ... Foul thing " He continued with a theatrical gesture, momentarily depositing his cup on the sill. He surrounded the pilot with his browridges deeply puckered as he made an exaggeratedly theatrical gesture with his hands. Like a magician about to discover his best trick. He turned a moment to Tom before picking up the abandoned shirt on the couch, holding it with two fingers of each hand, without touching it too much. “What is this bird-man? The good-guy hidden behind the bully façade that I met has become a womanizer in my absence? You know better than that my friend.” He teased, throwing the female shirt against the face of the fly-boy. The garment hit full on its target, and the half-bajoran let out a good-humored chuckle.  “A trophy from your last catch, I guess?”

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #3 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Numen 

"Concoctions... You haven't spiked my coffee with that jet fuel stuff you call a drink right?"Thomas grinned as he remained still and nipped from the warm beverage. To his relief there weren't any traces of alcohol in them and he sipped a bit more of it as the scientist hadn't lied. He seemingly did taste something different about the drink and it wasn't for worse. "Not bad..." he complimented the scientist.

"I need to keep being beefy if I want to fly those coffins of death we call fighters Izar. We've been over this discussion on the Thunderchild." Thomas teased "Besides, how else am I going to keep your skinny scaly skin safe as you seem paramount on getting yourself in trouble over and over again." he grinned as he took another swig from the drink, downing the hot beverage like it was nothing more but water.

The question about how he had slept was answered with an answer he had heard many times before from his friend. Nightmares were no strangers in his sleep and Thomas sometimes felt bad for him about it. He'd want to help him if he could, perhaps advise him to see a counselor of sorts. Yet he knew how scientists despised the counselors as 'fake' doctors. He did wonder if it were the Borg this time over since his close encounter with them the day before. Before he could even ask though, the semi Cardassian Bajoran picked up a shirt that clearly wasn't Ravons.

The pilot simply frowned as he managed to easily recollect from who'm it was. The night before the Rotarran incident Evelyn Rawley had been in the room and he had remembered the way she worked herself out of that top and flung it over to the couch. Thomas couldn't help but chuckle as of all persons Izar would be the one to find it "I'd hardly call it foul..." he attempted to mount a defense.

Yet the scientist wouldn't have any of it as he addressed him with the nickname that followed him since Thunderchild. Thomas had to laugh now as he called him a womanizer. Sure he had his share of conquests aboard the Theurgy, some more known then others, yet to drive it to being a womanizer... Thomas was about to repond before the garment was tossed into his face with pin point accuracy. He could smell the scent of Rawley once more, along with sweat and the stogie she smoked. He fished it out of his face, wrapping it in his fist as he shook his head "Uncalled for Ice-man... I offer you a decent place to sleep." he scolded the scientist.

"As for a womanizer, I'm nowhere near that title. I won't lie to you though, I've had a few women during my time here... I haven't been stuck in the past. I had to move onward." he admitted to Izar, admitting to his rough personal time he had on Thunderchild about a particular girl.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #4 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
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@Nolan


"Uncalled for Ice-man?!?!?! I feel EXTREMELY offended by that epithet. I had always believed I'm a cool-blooded bastard, I feel tremendously denigrate, Thomas" Bila replied posing affectedly his right hand on his chest, pretending to be absolutely hurted. However, his vaudevillian charade lasted only a short time, and a mocking smile cracked soon in his face. "I want to thank you for  your assistance , milord Lieutenant Commander, master of the flock. Also that you still could waste some time and space to share it with your peasant friends, even with the most troublesome one.” He continued with a teasing tone in his voice, as he returned to the window to retrieve the tea that was still smoking in the sill. Before he could recover the mug, he had to pass by the pilot, so he took advantage to sneak a friendly shove of his scaly elbow in the human's belly.

Izar took the cup and cradled it between his hands. At that moment, he appreciated the infusion more for the heat it brought to his fingers than for the sour taste. He had replicated the red-leaf tea without the Kava juice with which he used to drink it in an attempt to be ... more authentic. More cardassian. It had been a mistake. The drink lacked something, it seemed incomplete. He took another small sip to confirm his hypothesis and couldn't help a grimace when the bitter liquid touched his taste buds. Maybe it was an acquired taste, Bila thought as he sighed in dismay at the crimson liquid.

He then returned his gaze to the pilot, picking up the thread of the conversation. "Okay, you're not a womanizer, just a flirty guy." He conceded, winking at his friend. "But I'm glad that you turned the page over with that girl ... what was her name, Zephyr? I mean, she could be a Bless from the Prophets' embodied, but she wasn't good for you. You know what I mean." The scientist played down the memory of the woman his friend had been obsessed with for years. He wasn't sure until what point Ravon really had move onward or if he just pretended to do it. He remembered too well the time when she confessed to the bird-man that she and Ethan had get engaged. Ethan, also known as 'that heartless traitor', if he remembered well the name that Ravon used for his former classmate. His friend had fallen into a self-destructive spiral from which Bila hadn't been able to help him out. He had simply stayed by his side, trying that the pilot didn't make something too dangerous or stupid. And failing at it half of the times to his dismay, due the pilot's stubbornness in drown himself in despair. He won't allow that another time. "Did you hear about her again? The last thing you told me was that she sent you a strange message and never answered you..." He asked casually before taking another sip of his tea. He had no intention of delving into an open wound, but the shirt Tom was holding in his fist could indicated that his heart was at last, elsewhere. And Bila had been a (mostly) silent witness to that love tragedy for years and he really wanted to know the end of the story. And know the ending of that story stirred his curiosity. In fact, the excess of curiosity had always been one of his biggest flaws. And one of its greatest virtues.

Regardless of the answer, the chemist settled on the sill, leaning his slender shoulders against the panorama of the nebula and observed his friend conscientiously as he answered. He hadn't missed that Ravon had called the fighters 'coffins of death', and that was not a good sign. Tom loved to fly as much as he loved to experiment with chemistry. Bila was far from being an adrenaline-seeker and had always considered his friend's profession a necessary madness, but he understood well what it was to be passionate about what one did. And that the pilot despised his birds in that way told him that something was not right. The hybrid's hazel eyes delved into for green orbs of the human. Ravon always had a special ability to hide his mood, but he and Izar had played poker too much together. And the chemist always knew when the pilot was bluffing.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #5 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen

"Extremely offended huh.." Thomas answered as he looked almost untouched by the dramatic performance "You're full of shit Bila." he snorted as he saw his vaudevillian charade crumple down. He chuckled and eventually laughed as he leaned against the back of the couch and looked at the hybrid as he thanked him, still mocking him while doing so. Why again had he missed this clown? The friendly shove delivered by Bila wasn't really hard and it simply made Thomas lean back a little before he recovered.

"Anything for friend right? Besides, if the tables were turned I'm pretty sure you'd let me sleep in your lab or something." Thomas offered with a shrug "The chances of me being tied down to fill my role as some test subject for whatever crazy ass experiment goes on in that head of yours... Pretty high though?" he called out his friend with a smirk as he swigged down some more of the black lava.

The relatively decent mood Thomas had woken up with got seriously disturbed when Izar began to talk about Zephyr. Zephyr... He hadn't heard that name in ages, hadn't heard from her in ages, not ever since their personal messaging stopped with him pulling out the plug out of whatever they had. Izar continued to talk about her, telling him she wasn't good for him. The pilot remained in his stance against the couch, seemingly lost in thoughts as he stared into an abyss. Why did he have to bring her up now?

"I don't know what you mean. I'm a bird man remember." he finally answer Bila as his eyes met him. The eyes looking at the hybrid being a mix of that pent up anger that always lingered along with the minute look in his face of playfulness. It could turn both ways from here on out. He was curious what his friend meant with that. Zephyr had been somewhat of a specialty in his life. The first true love Thomas would bind himself to. Yet things never developed and never panned out truly... In hindsight it might've been one of the darker pages in Thomas Ravon's history, one in which Skye Carver provided a ray of light on an already dark period.

Thomas swallowed as Bila pressed on asking if he had heard about her again ever since their shared time on Thunderchild. A slow shake of his head was the answer the guest received as he parted his lips "Not since my last message. It still bugs me at times you know... Is she alright now, did something bad happen? Should I have found a way to get to her... Wherever she was..." he shrugged "I don't know, I guess I always found myself second guessing... Did I not live up my part as a friend for her? he shrugged as he sighed and placed the mug down on the sill of the viewport as he had walked towards it and stared at the lights outside.

The pilot remained in a pause as he looked at the diorama outside, his eyes gazing through the vastness of space to find an answer to his own question. However good Thomas was at hiding his past or his feelings about it. Bila surely knew how to push into a painful memory and second guess his actions, even if it wasn't his intention. It made the pilot think about his life at least. His time aboard the Theurgy had been a crazy one, compared to his past. It was good to be brought back on the deck with both feet. The eyes of the pilot shifting back to the hybrid "Enough about me." he waved away the sensitive topic of Zephyr, although she'd probably haunt his thoughts for the coming days if not weeks. "What about you, are you still madly in love with just science or is there a girl in your life already? Or a guy?" he asked fishing for information.

Thomas could almost already guess the answer as the man's reaction to bodily odored garments still made him grow sick apparently. He had always found the case of Izar Bila interesting. The man never showing any interest in the opposite sex or the same sex for that matter. He had prodded and set him up a couple of times. Some times without the man even knowing he was being set up. Each attempt resulting in an undesired outcome for the pilot. One might consider Ravon to be a scientist if it came to Bila's love life. Yet Bila might've been the galaxies worst test subject....

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #6 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
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@Nolan


"Well, the truth is that I would never subject you to an experiment too lethal. You know, for the friendship that join us. In any case, you're not too misguided" rebutted the scientist with a mischievous smile in his face. He really didn't mean it, the hybrid had few friends and he would not risk Ravon's friendship for a joke.  But he loved to chew on the pilot, mainly because of his ability to keep the banter without even raising an eyebrow. Or just laugh instantly after hear a impish joke. Either of the outcomes was nice due its sincerity.

However when asked about Zephyr, Tom replied staring off into space, lost in thoughts, and Bila knew he had screwed up the mood. That, in fact, the injure that represents the pilot's classmate was still open and, one way or another, and he'd just reoponed that old wound. "I ... I mean, she is a half-batazoid , isn't she? At least she MUST know how did you feel about her and didn't ... rub in your face that stuff she knew would be painful for you. I'm sure she's well somewhere,or at least I hope so... I... well ... Don't pay me any mind, you know I'm mostly clueless with this stuff..." He tried to answer falteringly, guilt permeating from his voice. "Sorry" Bila finally whispered in a reedy voice, unsure about how to placate the storm within his friend.

He watched silently as he got up and joined him in the sill, his so human un-ridged profile illuminated by the nebula. Bila just looked at him sideways, his head slightly tilted. And he took a mental note of not to further inquire into Zephyr's matter for a time. He'd brought back that painful memory,so now if Ravon wanted to talk about it, he knew the scientist was there to listen to him. But Izar wouldn't insist on the subject anymore. For the moment. He needed to ponder about it later. And not pester Tom with it.

When he finally decided to leave the subject aside and inquire into Bila's sentimental life, the scientist choked on his tea. He coughed a couple of times, trying to clear his throat. Then he picked up his cup with both hands, toying with the almost empty mug nervously. "You know, if you had asked me a week ago I would have given you the usual answer, but during the  borg 's attack... I mean, she saved my life and well, that's a game changer by all means ... Yeah, yeah I know what are you going to say, 'Ice-man, you owe your scaly skin to too many people' but I couldn't calculate that that conduit would explode and  that the corridor would collapse over me and ... Anyway, you know I say a lot of stupid things if I'm scared and I don't know how I invited-her-to-dinner-and-now-I-don't-KNOW-what-am-I-going-to-do" Izar's hesitant speech accelerated into a kind of hysterical chatter as he stared at the reddish fluid with a totally helpless look.

The scientist looked up at his friend, swallowing loudly. His throat was dry. He took a long swallow to the mug, burning his tongue in the meantime. He blew several times and waved one of his hands in front of his mouth, trying in vain to alleviate the scorching sensation. He moved away from the window and paced erratically around the room, shaking his hand spasmodically in the air as he alternated between pursed his lips and hiss uselessly. When he was finally able to speak again, he left the cup on the replicator to recycle it and finally turned to face Tom again. "As I stated before, I've no clue how this works. I think, that maybe, you know, maybe I like her. She's kind, and obviously pretty. And Prophets know she's warm. I mean, when we sleep together she was... that, warm, in all the meanings." Just then, realizing how his words could be misinterpreted he stared at the pilot, panic and embarrassment knotting in the pit of his stomach. He waved his hands in front of him, trying to dismiss the idea he was sure was He had formed in Ravon's mind. "Thomas Ravon that's NOT what you're thinking at the moment, I swear. When I say sleep, I say actually SLEEPING. I'd no quarters so she left me share her bed in the sickbay. She just wanted to cuddle up with someone and I wasn't able to reject some pamper and caress so, what could I do?  I simply enjoyed it ..... I ... this sounds as awful for you as it's sounding in my ears? It was ... chaste and pure. Promise. Platonic in your standars, I ... I dunno what the hell I'm doing, to be honest." He continued hastily, his cheeks darkened by blush. Bila covered his face with his hands, unable to see the amusement due to his distress in his friend's features.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #7 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen

A quirky grin had followed up on Bila's words about having him be put to use to non lethal tests. Sometimes the Bajocardie made it hard to guess if he really was his friend or just the scientist following up on a tribble experiment. Thomas should've known better of course...

The whole Zephyr topic had made Thomas' morning from okay to bad. The scientist raised good point about her being a half betazoid, so she'd at least should've felt some of the feelings he had for her. Although, Thomas wasn't entirely open about his feelings either. Hiding them under layers of various other feelings. Plus the clumsy and sometimes clueless brunette had probably never noticed it in detail either. She had respected his mind privacy at least. Or so he hoped, otherwise it would've cast the woman in a complete different light. His friend apologized for bringing her up and Thomas simply darted his eyes to him and shrugged silently, not even granting a reply to it as the next subject of Bila's love life now came to light.

It was odd already to have seen the scaly man choke on his tea at the query of it and Thomas his brows rose as he began his expert explanation about the matter. The interest and curiosity peaked inside the pilot as he moved closer to his true friend. A particular she saved his life during a Borg attack? It made Ravon chuckle as Bila seemed to be fully self aware about the times he needed to be saved in various situations. "Thank God you're not bound to life debt's or anything... You'd be in so much shit otherwise." he grinned as he leaned against his couch and an amused grin covered his face "You invited her over to dinner? You? Dinner? Cooking?" Ravon asked with growing unbelief "You're just toying with me right? The great Izar Bila is not actually having a date on which he'll cook right?" The pilot began to laugh, hard... "I mean, what are you going to make? Cardie stew? Or something fancy? Candlelight dinner or...."

Oh how life would throw curve balls... The one moment Thomas was being dragged back into a seemingly endless deep cold pit and right now he was gloating his friend by dragging him into a similar deep pit. Though the vantage point on the latter was far better for Ravon. It only got better as he burned his tongue on the hot beverage and began to wave his hands around to his mouth and Thomas couldn't help but laugh before he walked up to the replicator to produce some cool water to extinguish the possible burns. He offered the glass to Bila yet froze in his steps as the scientist seemed like he wasn't done. "Wait... What? You might like her but you slept with her already? You snaky son of a-" his line cut off as Bila retorted by calling Ravon by his full name. It only made the pilot grin and revel even more in the situation as he shook his head.

The man was freaking out, so much was obvious and Thomas put the glass down on the nearby table as the Bajocardie hid his face in hands. Heh ad admitted to not knowing what he had done and Thomas patted him lightly on the shoulder "My little scaly friend is finally growing to maturity. Developing feelings for the other sex and the sorts... So cute." he teased him before he laughed out and patted him again "Don't worry buddy, I'll help you through it. We'll take it one step at a time and I'll give you some pointers and tips. Consider it as an extensive research project in which you'll actually have to participate. Any results are unknown."

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #8 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
[Show/Hide]

@Nolan


Maybe in another occasion, Bila might have rebutted something when Ravon started laughing at his expense, but at that moment he was just overanxious and in the verge of panic. So he simply moved his hands away from his face and turned his gaze to the human.  And like so many times when he was nervous, he kept talking, wide-eyed, his diction worsening while he began to stumble over words again "Tom, you know me well, I don't do things by halves Would I only invite her to a dinner?" Bila turned his body to his friend and raised his hands to grab his shirt, but when he didn't find any cloth to cling to, he limited himself to fidget his fingers in the air for shortly afterwards, stuffed both hands in the hoodie pockets. He looked away and repositioned his posture before continued talking, sitting on the edge of the couch as a sort of huge and ungainly bird. And grey and scaly. "Nonono, I was more blabbermouth that ever," he confessed finally in a tiny voice. "I promised her the full 'Meet Izar Bila' deluxe edition: I invited her to a real feast of nouvelle cuisine, formal clothes, best Trill attire in the Quadrant, all pomp and circumstance. Of course I also offered dinner theater 'cause I'm this charmingly savvy and I'll absolutely not spend the whole dinner trying to choke with my own tongue. I promised to be charming and witty, that she'll have the night of her life." The hybrid rested his elbows on his knees and buried again his face between hands. Just like that he still managed to shake his head desolate while he faced his gaffe. When Ravon brought up the 'candlelight dinner' the half-cardassian turned his face slightly to look at his friend with a single puzzled eye. "Candles? Do you think I need to pray? " He grumbled, his mouth still pressed against the ball of his right hand. A part of his mind registered that it was possibly some romantic human convention for which he had no context, but most of his brain was still directly connected to his mouth, so he just kept it pouring out his nervousness. "Wait, actually, yeah, I'm gonna need all the help I can get. Yours. Of the Prophets. Yours. You are the expert. So, yeah Bird-brain, I've doomed myself. And I need your <fucking> help to survive THIS and don't mess it up. So share your knowledge." He begged as a momentary end with his logorrhea.

At some point, a glass full of water had appeared on the table in front of them and Bila threw himself over it like a man who had wandering for days in the desert. He downed the entire contents of the glass in a single gulp, feeling the refreshing liquid soothing slightly the heat of his tongue and the dryness of his throat. But he did little to relieve the nerves that were knotted in the pit of his stomach. The moment he returned the glass to the table he felt the strong hand of Ravon patting his back. Like he felt the full situation was the more amusing thing in the world. It was clear that the pilot was delighted with his distress, as if Bila had to submit to a kind of maturity rite of whose existence he had no idea. An 'extensive research project' he called it. "Fuck you Bird Brain, this is not a fucking experiment," he growled, elbowing Tom's unprotected stomach. Bila gazed the human with venomous eyes. "I know how to set up an experiment. You draw up a plan. You break it into steps. You follow them and observe the results. If you don't get the desired result, try again by modifying the method. I can't do that with Kyth. I cann't risk things going wrong with her. Not until I find out if I really like her. And well, what does she think about ... 'this'" He continued pointing to himself completely with a circular gesture. Probably Thomas Ravon was one of the few people who knew the amount of self-loathing and poor self-image that had haunted most of Izar's youth. He rarely fell back into those mental traps, and enjoyed an enviable self-confidence. But at that time he was sailing in unknown waters. And yesterday's squabble with Dr. Parnak wasn't helping him to felt overconfident.

Bila shook his head again and sighed, letting out short chuckle. "You know? I need that pointers and tips. I really need them. But maybe it's not necessary. She ... she is a betazoid too, not half, full, not like, you know... I don't know if that comforts me or scares me even more..."

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #9 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen 

The entire situation couldn't be described really, it simply made Ravon laugh. The peculiar and perhaps hopeless situation his scaly friend had positioned him into was amusing, a break away from the hard reality he had been in for months. The daily struggleto stay alive being trumped it seemed by a rather trivial problem for the pilot. Bila was freaking the fuck out over a date. A date which he had set the standard so high it would be hard if not impossible to reach it. The pilot couldn't help but chuckle as he saw his friend reach a stage of desperation and he eventually went over and sat besides him. As the Bajcardie thought he had to pray when Ravon mentioned candlelight dinner, the pilot couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You pretty much set really high standards you know... I mean, are you sure that's what she wants?" The friend besides him however had made a different calculation in his head as he grasped for Thomas' guidance into the date. Claiming him to be the expert in the matter and Thomas wasn't sure if he had to feel flattered or offended because of it. "My help?" he repeated after him as he shook his head "My knowledge?" he smirked as he found himself in an even more peculiar situation then he had started in. "My God, how hopeless are you if you're coming to the birdman for help?" he asked mockingly before he tapped on the temples of his scaly grey friend.

He had however never seen Bila in this state of distress as the man lashed out at him to not look at it as an experiment. The elbow into his stomach made the pilot grunt lightly, yet the force behind it was never hard enough to actually hurt. "Kyth huh.. First name basis already or what after sleeping with her?" the pilot teased him as he simply couldn't leave the subject open like this. Knowing Bila, he would do exactly the same if not worse. He leaned back a little and laughed as Bila did seem to stretch his scientific approach to the woman and the entire date thing.

"You know... That's what social relationships are right? Not a perfectly calculated series of events but a messy process of trials and error with breakthroughs in them." Thomas tried to explain it, using the scientific terms he had picked up from when he used to study science. Of course his time with Bila had brushed off a little on him. "I mean, you can't just look into her head and find out what she likes or not likes, what attracts her and what not... You need to find out by engaging in contact with her, going out on dates and stuff. Organizing a state banquet is taking it pretty far, but I guess I should help a friend in need out." the pilot agreed. If only to see how would fumble and balance the date to keep it going to a desired result, on the other hand he was curious to what kind of girl Bila had interest in.

At the mention of his presumable date being a Betazoid, Thomas smiled. A full Betazoid would easily be able to look into the feelings and thoughts of his friend, depending on the person she might even take advantage out of it or play along in the situation. If anything, Thomas didn't want Bila to get hurt, even though it would be a part of the process. Perhaps he should find out more about this woman before the actual date. "I'll share you pointers and tricks... I could even be the waiter for your date, you know, less things for you to think about and just a higher chance to focus yourself on the woman in front of you." Thomas suggested.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #10 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
[Show/Hide]

@Nolan

Bila blinked in disbelief looking at his friend, while he rhetorically asked what was the level of despair he'd developed to the moment. "How hopeless I am with all this? Well, let me guess, I don't know, nothing, a little bit, you know I have a tendency to hyperventilate randomly for minor problems and I'm an expert in this dates matter so... OBVIOUSLY this is a hopeless situation, birdman " He exaggeratedly teased, his voice tinged with a point of misery and supplication.

When the pilot bugged him with the familiarity with which he was referring to the betazoid, the scientist could feel how the blush colored his cheeks as it'd only previously happen in front of the woman in question. The scientist tried to hide his embarrassment brushing his eye ridge with the index and the thumb of the hand, trying to conceal most of his face from Ravon's gaze. When he managed to gather enough self-control to continue speaking, his voice sounded without his usual know-it-all jangle. Almost it could be say that he sounded almost tender, if the Bajcardie was capable of such a thing. But for sure, he sounded deeply confused. "Kyth ... I mean ... Kythalie, I mean PO Benmual ... the truth is that I guess after she saved my ass in the Borg attack, yes, I suppose that we're on first name basis somehow ... and It has nothing to do with ...... SLEEP with her.  SLEEP Ravon, put it in that bird brain of yours. JUST-SLEEP" He insisted, looking back at Tom, challenging him to continue with his banter. He kept talking without taking his eyes off the pilot, not fully trusting whether Ravon's response would be genuine or a joke. "But I don't know, maybe I'm wrong ... What sounds better, Ma'am Benmual, PO, Kythalie, Kyth ... how should I call her, what do you think?" He queried while evaluating his options.  It had really been the woman who had decided to start using his first name, he wasn't sure if she wasn't used to the reverse order of the Bajorans' names or she simply had made that because she was a warm and friendly person. Her behavior made Bila lean towards the second option. He really preferred that option. He wanted to believe in that option.

When Ravon began to adviced him about social relationships, Bila couldn't help but smile and listen attentively. It was a rare situation, but Izar was glad Tom was there for him. "I know, I know." He agreed with a nod in the pilot's pause. "Even with everything, people are usually ... predictable. I mean, they react in determined ways to certain situations.  I've studied it, you know, in most cases i know what to expect " He theorized, waving his hands as if  he was separating people into small and differentiated groups. "I know how to make people feel more comfortable around me, or at least that they become bit less hostile, most of the time. Unless, well, I suddenly turn into and idiot and just don't know when i must close my mouth. That's what happened with Kythalie, I suppose. " He confessed before letting Ravon continued to explain his point of view, inviting him to participate in activities with her to get to know each other a tad better.  Bila sighed and leaned back on the couch, running his hands through his curly hair.  Finally, he decided to leave it loose, he hadn't had a chance to comb it properly and any attempt to rebuild his bun without a mirror would end up with it worse than it was now. The jet-black hair reached his shoulder height and its curls were incongruous with his mainly Cardassians features.

"When I got myself into this mess... well, I promise you I thought I was so dead that I said a lot of stupid things. Just for ... I don't know, I think i just tried that she didn't leave me there, trapped. I had nothing to lose so it didn't care if i went too far with my promises, right? But still, she stayed with me. And then, well, when I went to visit her at the sickbay ... one thing led to other and well, I didn't know how to back out. I didn't want to. I don't know... I was going to join a team to follow the Borg's trail and everything seemed like a potential suicide  mision and, Prophets know it, just knowing that someone was waiting my return gave me hope. So, yeah, maybe it sounds a bit selfish, maybe a little stupid but ... yes, it was a consolation for me out there, among the spoils of the borg battlefield knew that I needed to return no matter how because I had made her a promise. I'm not going to deny that I was scared to death but ... but I had to go back. If that doesn't deserve a banquet I don't know what deserve it. So I'll be grateful for your help in this, buddy." He faltered, still unsure about his conclusions, but he was more than glad that the birdman would act as his mentor or his... squire in that feat. The scientist sighed tremulous just after kept speaking, his distress slightly placated by the support of the pilot, but still far from being totally relaxed. "But yeah, recalling what you've said before, I really don't know what she could want, to be honest. She agreed with this dinner, more or less so, I think she could enjoy it? Or don't mind a dinner with a science geek at least, I'm not sure.  It's not like I could just ask her right now …" He concluded with a vague gesture with his hand towards the nebula that shone on the other side of the window. That soup of stardust, gas and radiation made communication almost impossible and it was what had kept the Cayuga isolated during a good part of its survey of the protostellar mass.

When after a short silence Tom suggested that he could be acting as a waiter at dinner to help him, the hybrid's eyes brightened. "You, the waiter?" He exclaimed with more enthusiasm than he should while his mind went back to plan the event at warp 9 speed. "That way you could be there and intervene if the things get out of control. And you could share your hints in the proper moment. It really could work …" He claimed, scratching thoughtfully his unshaved chin. After the chemist pondered on it for a few minutes, he relaxed his posture and settled into the couch,a smirk for himself etched in his exotic face.

 He turned again to face the pilot and looked at him with a nostalgic expression. "It almost seems like we're back at the Thunderchild, Tom, without this ... I don't even know how to name it, this mess or whatever you and your crew have gotten into." , He said, trying to dismiss the more trickier part of the Theurgy situation without judging your friend or asking too much about it. "It's almost as if we didn't have the Borg out there on our door and i didn't have the vaccines to slow down assimilation process replicating in the lab," he continued in a thin voice. Perceiving the courses through which his brain began to circulate, he acquired a serious expression and pointed to Ravon with an admonitory finger. "Do not even think about put yourself on one of those crazy machines that you pilot without a dose of my vaccine, have you heard me? I'd broke my neck modifying nanoprobes to develop it and even  I've had a quarrel with that Cardassian scientist. Finally his Excellency allowed me to use that lab and have everything ready as soon as posible, but it's been quite a meeting." He warned the pilot, the memory of the conversation with Dr. Parnak of suddenly fresh in his mind. But he didn't want to bring up that incident at that moment, so he hurried to jest "Actually, what happens to this ship and the Cardassians, do you collect us? I think there are at least four of us on board. Well, three and a half."

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #11 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen

Oh how easy it was to irritate the bajcardie scientist, it never ceased to amaze Thomas at how much fun this all was. He kept pestering about the fact that the man had slept for a woman, other then his mother) for the first time in his life, even if it was just laying next to one another. It made Ravon smirk and gloat, for possibly far longer then he should. On the plus side though he got the full name and short name for miss Benmual and the grin on his face seemed to reach far behind his ears. Bila kept bombarding him with questions though and the pilot didn't reply instantly as he simply looked at him and shrugged "Hold on, let me get dressed first." he announced as he walked back to his room and emerged back in his standard issue uniform.

The plan about him acting as a waiter for their 'date', as their truly wasn't a better word for it, seemed to be welcomed by the scientist as he saw the benefits of it. Thomas simply smirked and nodded "As for how you should call her, I'd say with going with what you last called her before you left. I mean, what was it? Sweetie? Baby? Love of my life?" the pilot teased as
walked back to the cup of coffee he had left behind while he had changed. He gulped it down entirely now as the warm yet not so hot beverage ran down his throat.

Seeing Izar with the loose hair to his shoulders was different, not new, but different. He nodded to his room as the bathroom was next to it "If you want to fresh up and stuff, go ahead." he offered before he walked to the replicator and filled him a new cup. He didn't dip into the mess as Izar called it of the Theurgy as he figured this wasn't the time yet perhaps the right place to discuss the matter. He did frown as Izar mentioned the vaccine of nanoprobes and that Thomas had to get one before he'd fly out.

"I'm not getting any shots from any experiments you had with the Borg." he protested as he shook his head "Not that I don't trust you... But... I need to be at one hundred percent focus out there." he licked his lips as it would undoubtedly spark some reaction from the scientist. As he kept talking and mentioned other Cardassian, Thomas laughed "Hey, don't ask me... For all I know they're organizing a family reunion for you or something." he said sarcastically before he walked to Izar "Anyway, are you hungry? What the hell did you do after Thunderchild? How did you turn into a womanizer all of a sudden?"

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #12 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
[Show/Hide]

@Nolan

Ravon knew him too well. He knew perfectly how to irritate him, how to get him out of control and exalted that neurotic tic that was always just below his gray skin. A part of himself wanted to grab him by the collar of his nonexistent shirt to focus on the problem in their hands. Most of him rejoiced at the presence of his friend, of his playful tease, no matter how bothersome it was. No matter how exasperating it was. So, despite his infuriated expression, the hybrid ended up smiling in spite of himself, shaking his head. This was a fight that he couldn't win and, in a way, he didn't want to win either. He could only stand his pestering friend. And enjoy it somehow.

For better or for worse, the pilot left him alone for a while to get dressed, which gave Bila time to compose himself a bit.  His palate and tongue still burned after the mishap with tea, but he still replicated another cup of tea while waiting for Ravon. His night had been short and uneasy, and the oversweet aftertaste of the kanar of the previous night had returned to his mouth without invitation. He didn't need that self-hate flavor at that time.

While waiting for Tom to return to the main living area, he sipped his tea and rummaged in his duffel-bag until he found what he was looking for. One by one, he lined up the medicine bottles neatly on the coffee table, forming a perfect line. He even bothered that the bottles were equidistant from each other. When he was satisfied with the order he had established in the entropy's realm that was Ravon's quarters, he kept looking at his sack until he found a hypospray. He weighed the small device in his hand and leaned against the back of the couch, his head tilted toward the device. At a guess, Tom weighed about eighty kilograms, possibly more. Human. Hell of a metabolism, probably. With that data in mind, he calibrated the dose of the vaccine and placed it in line with the medications. Without further delay he took the first bottle and started to gobble down his own meds. He had barely reached the middle of the line when the pilot appeared again, joking about the name he should use with Benmual. His left brow ridge twitched again with irritation and his cheeks darkened with blush, but he refrained himself from rebut anything about that, it would only make things worse. Despite this, he noticed how his hands trembled nervously when he picked up the Kayo. "You know Tom, I've earned a questionable reputation experimenting with you ... and with myself, but I KNOW that this.." he said, picking up the hypospray and waving it in front of the pilot. "... I know THIS works. I've been assisted by a doctor modifying this nanoprobes and I've inhoculated all the Allegiant's crew with it, myself included. It stings where it's applicated for a bit and when the effect ends, surely you'll be hungry, but it trully works. If you come face to face with the Borg, it'll allow you to remain being yourself long enough to return to your mother ship and try to stop the assimilation process. I'm also working on that, but without results at the moment. But it doesn't matter, the important thing is that the vaccine actually works. So ... if you have to face the collective... use it. I've prepared two doses with your bioparameters, you should have more than two hours of immunity with each dose. " He explained slowly, with an unaccustomed serious expression on his face. When Ravon began his protest, Bila raised his hands to the sides of his head, asking him to stop. "Listen to me... Just ... take it, okay? Take it with you and if something turns south just... just use it. Or not, it's your choice. But the Prophets know that I don't want to have 'that' on my conscience," he sentenced, dismissing the subject and looking away from the human.

The silence weighed between the two after his statement, but finally Tom broke it by offering a truce in the form of offering the use of the bathroom and a continuation of his joke about the Cardassian and the Theurgy. Bila relaxed the posture and chuckled, standing to replicate a uniform before entering the bathroom, gently pushing Ravon on his way. "You're an idiot" just insulted him, with a playful tone that belied the harsh words.

When he returned from showering, his uniform impeccable and his hair neatly knotted in the bun that characterized him, Bila had discarded part of the grim expression with which he had left. The food offer only helped improve his mood even more. "Yeah I'm starving" he confirmed while placing his couple of pins in his collar, waiting for Tom to decide if they stayed in his quarters or left for one of the Vector's canteens or lounges. "After the Thunderchild?” He pondered “You know I asked for a transfer to the Asterion, we spent my time there mostly mapping the Helaspont Nebula. I've spent most of my time developing new materials for sensors arrays, you know oompa loompas of science work, but the Cochrane Institute found my research interesting enough to give me a shiny badge. I truly believe I sent you a comm when I traveled to Earth to receive it. " He commented thoughtfully. " A year or so later, came to the captain's notice the suspicions about my relationship with my .... 'friends' in the demilitarized zone and... well, you know it's easy for me to achieve some level of mistrust  in other's eyes pretty quickly. When the Cayuga's XO offered me a position based only on my experience, I simply accepted it. I needed a fresh start ... well, another one."

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #13 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen

After getting dressed Thomas had looked at Izar as the scientist looked paramountly convinced about what he was mixing. Of course he started talking again, convincing or rather trying to convince the pilot about his skill as an established scientist. He began to explain about the drugs and nanoprobes he had distilled and which would come in handy in case of a Borg attack. The pilot could simply cock an eyebrow as he looked at the Bajcardie before his eyes slid down to the vials he was holding. He sighed and walked up to him before taking the bottles.

"What happens if I inoculate this on anyone else, not my size and figure." he asked curiously, wondering what would happen if he pumped a Borg drone with it or if he chose to inoculate another crew member. he waited for Izar's answer before snorting and chuckling "Alright... I suppose I'll take your word on it, which in the past has seemed to be... Adequate." he smiled at the scientist "Yes, I bet your conscience is laden with trouble enough as it is... Seducing petty officers and the sorts.. Sheesh."

After that Izar had insulted him after they had made a truce and Thomas had simple chuckled about it as the man got the opportunity to freshen up and clean himself. He took a bit and Thomas began to read through his PADD before he saw the neatly familiar Bajcardie return. He couldn't help but smile lightly at him as he looked almost not a hair different from their time on Thunderchild. He listened to how the scientist had fared after their time on Thunderchild and Ravon cleared his throat "About that friends matter in the DMZ... I got contacted by some lovely chaps from Starfleet to look into that matter. I told them it would be garbage to believe that a splendid scientist as yourself would be a friend of the Maquis." he narrowed his eyes. "So the fresh start brought you here? Amusing... It's like you want your clean slate to get dirty... Aiding a renegade Starfleet crew."

Thomas shook his head and nodded at the door "Come on lets go to the Officer's mess to get a meal. Can't have my scaly friend wither on board."

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #14 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters -> Corridors | Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
[Show/Hide]

@Nolan

@Nolan

"What would happen if you used the vaccine with another person?" Bila repeated, pondering the question while scratching his shaggy chin. "If you inject it in someone of more weight and height than you or with a slower metabolism, it will hardly have any effect, or it will have a very reduced effect. Nanoprobes cannot reproduce fast enough for the effect to be useful. In case of inoculating someone of less weight and height or with a faster metabolism than yours ... the dose is probably too high and the nanoprobes will end up with the reserves of glucose and aminoacids in his or her blood too soon, provoking a severe hypoglycemia: the patient would deal with hunger, excessive sweating in humanoids with sweat glands, dizziness, weakness, daze... In the worst case she or he could lose consciousness or go into shock. Anyway, I'm simplifying this too much, what effect would that dose have if you injected it into me, for example? I'm shorter and lighter than you, but my Cardassian blood makes my metabolism pretty low, making up for the above. It would affect me more or less than you? Knowing my own dose, I can assure you that your dose would cause me a shock in less than forty minutes, due other factors conditioned my system, being a crossbreed. That is not a toy, birdman, that dosage is only for you. " He seriously advised the pilot. Luckily, Ravon soon accepted the hypospray and continued to chew on him with his supposed seducer skills. The chemist rolled his eyes that hard that they hurt before he left the room to use the shower.

Shortly after, both left the room, catching up on the time they had spent without being in contact or with sporadic one. When Tom pointed out that the Starfleet Internal Affairs team had contacted him to investigate his relationship with the maquis, Bila couldn't help but blush again, embarrassed for a different matter than the betazoid. He had never intended to involve Ravon with his Crusade for the rights of the DMZ settlers and that his friend had lied to keep his reputation flattered and mortified him in equal measure. "I thank you that you do not sold me. It was not my wisest decision but I just ... I ... I needed to help them. Everyone had abandoned them, no one supported them, there were children, families ... I know what it is to live utterly dispossessed, I...I... jut... never mind, it's a thing of the past. The maquis has been disbanded years ago. " After all that time, he still felt gutted about all the maquis issue. It could have ended his career, if it had been discovered, but if he could went back in time, he would take the same choices. Or even worse, if that made it possible for more people to survive. The bajcardie sighed and tried to push those sinister thoughts from his mind.

"As for my clean slate ... well, I know it's a fortunate pagh, but it seems to tend to tarnish no matter how much I tried to keep it clean ... When the Borg attacked the Cayuga and Kyth- Kythalie, eeeh, when petty officer Benmual saved me I was so badly wounded that they kept me unconscious until the Asurian attack destroyed our sickbay and I needed to flee from there.Me, fleeing, could you believe it?”he asked with a hint of irony.  “After that, well, everything happened very fast, vector 3 was already helping us, my captain asked for volunteers and I think I still had too many drugs in my body. Also, somehow I couldn't believe that you had betrayed the ideals of the fleet by following the orders of a demented megalomaniac. You could be a birdbrain, but you're not a traitor. In addition, as far as I know, treason runs in my family not in yours " he joked pointing his mother's status as a cardassian collaborationist and his own dalliance with the maquis. "I supposed that if you were still here it was for some reason so ... in a way, I came to check it out. Well, mainly I obeyed orders,verify that you were alive and you hadn't become nuts was a pleasant coincidence. I almost regret having worried so much when the only thing I have received for my concerns has been a night in a stinky couch and too many mocking words " He joked around just when they reach the officers' mess hall. Almost instantly, Bila's stomach roared as if he hadn't eaten in years. The hybrid rested a hand on his belly, slightly embarrassed by the unseemly sound.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #15 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters  | Thomas Ravon man's cave | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen

The results of using the spray on anyone else but him sounded rather clear and Thomas gave a simple nod before he had taken the hypospray. He wasn't sure where he'd stuff it, yet he figured somewhere in his fighter would do the trick. In a worst case scenario he could still use it on whomever he deemed fit, knowing of the consequences attached to it. 

Thomas stopped dead cold in his tracks as Bila simply mentioned that he was happy his friend didn't sell him out to the internal affairs section "What?" he simply stated as his eyes were fixed on the Bajcardie. He walked over to him slowly before he simply shoved him against the wall "Are you telling me that I lied to internal affairs? You WERE involved with the Macquis?" He could lift him off the floor or use him as the sorry punching bag he was for this transgression. Yet the scientist explained his reasoning to why he worked with them and the pilot calmed down sufficiently to put him back down and shake his head "Sometimes... Sometimes you do deserve a good beat up, you know that." the pilot grumbled as he continued to lead the way to the mess hall.

"Leave my family out of this." Thomas snapped as Bila had begun to explain how his clean slate went and how exactly he got his Bajcardie bones on the Theurgy. If anything though, the pilot still seemedt o be displeased by the fact that he found out his friend had been working with Macquis after all this time. A bitter pill to swallow... When they finally did arrive at the mess hall he heard the stomach of the scientist grumble and he simply looked over his shoulder "Are you an orphan from a multi year war or something? You must've eaten something in the past few days?" Thomas shot him a remark before he walked over to the replicators "If anything, you deserved worse then a stinky couch." Thomas muttered, sighing eventually and waiting for his friend to fill up his plate with whatever he would eat.

They walked over to a table to the side of the mes hall and Thomas asked as they walked over "So any future plans? Stick with the Cayuga? Or will you transfer to a new ship?"

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #16 –
Lt. JG Izar Bila| Tacc CONN Departmental Heads' Quarters| Thomas Ravon man's cave| Vector 02| USS Theurgy]
[Show/Hide]

@Nolan


When Ravon stopped his steps, his face contorted between outrage and disbelief at the scientist's confirmation that he had been involved with the maquis, Bila only looked him in the eye, deadly serious. "Yes, I was," he confirmed again without a hint of double meanings, before he vaguely explaining his motives for doing it. He knew that would turn one of those things that the pilot would throw in his face every time he could. And, on this occasion, the half-cardassian couldn't lie to himself claiming that he had no reason to do so.  He had more than plenty. He'd would prefer that Tom had been oblivious to the whole affair, but it was too late to cry about it. So, when his friend confirmed his feelings when he claimed that there were times when he deserved a good beating, Bila could only agree with him with a shrug of his slender shoulders. Despite that, he would act again mostly in the same way.

The chemist kept talking, trying to make his trivial tone placate the anger he was sure grew under Ravon's stubborn silence. When his only response was to verbal lash, Bila knew he wasn't having too much success. Luckily, when they arrived at the mess hall, he seemed relaxed enough to be a little more himself and spat a half joke about the mongrel. "Well, in fact I AM an orphan for a multi year war ... kinda."  He confirmed with a pretentious smile. "If you consider that my father died sometime between my birth and the present time and that the Cardassian Protectorate of Bajor was more violent than planned" He mentioned in passing, just before Ravon confirmed that he was still hurt by the scientist 'treason' while muttering that Bila deserved something worse than a stinky couch. The chemist decided to leave that his friend faded his anger at his own pace, and faked that he was concentrated on skimmed through the bajoran options in the replicator's menu. Finally, he selected a couple of argendi sandwiches and a groatcake, before accompanying the human to one of the free tables on the inner side of the mess hall.

For a few minutes, Bila simply ate, using his hands to delicately take the food to his mouth, holding the left sleeve of the uniform so that it wouldn't be stained with the honey-like syrup that covered the cake. "Transfer to a new ship? No thanks " He replied looking at his friend as if he thought he had lost his mind. "Captain Ziegler is a reasonable human, her moral code firmly set in the best values ​​of the Federation. If she discover that I was involved on what-you-know, I think I'll make her understand my motivations. Besides, I still haven't heard any malicious rumors about myself. Aside the usual evil-cardassian witch hunt between the veterans. In case i find myself with the water up to my neck I'll decide what to do. Probably I'll just ride out the storm using my silver tongue, as usual. " He replied, shrugging his shoulders as I polished off the rest of the groatcake. He preferred to avoid mentioning Benmual among the reasons why he preferred to remain in Cayuga. Ravon had taunted him enough with her to give him another chance to do it so soon. "And you ... what are you going to do?" He asked in turn. It was a delicate subject, but Bila needed to confirm that his best friend wasn't going to kill himself uselessly as he feared.
 

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 06 | 0630 hrs. ] Black coffee, red tea

Reply #17 –
[ Lt Cmdr Thomas Ravon | Officers Mess Hall | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
@Numen

The pilot prepared himself another mug with hot dark substance before going for some eggs and toasted bread with sausages. He had the feeling a good breakfast would keep him on his feet for most of the day in case he'd have to skip meals later on. He glanced over at what Bila got and walked with him to a table before he started to eat in silence. He did listen to his friend as he had been asked what his future plans were.

The response he got was a typical Izar reply and Thomas shrugged his shoulders while shaking his head "Yes, quite a silvery tongue you have." he snarled before continuing his meal. Bila bounced the question back to him and Thomas didn't reply at first as he enjoyed the meal. When he was done he shot Bila a look and sighed whilst leaning back "Well, I think my career options have been rather limited. I can't exactly jump ship and join another Federation ship, branded a traitor and that sort of stuff. I could go rogue and see what I can earn as a black market pilot. Or you know, I could stay here and risk my life on the line every time I fly out to uncertain doom." he answered sarcastically.

"I think I'll stick with my life here. If only to clear my name and that of the other people on board of this ship." Thomas eventually answered with a faint, bitter smile. He looked at Bila, trying to read his features which was hard enough as it was with the Bajcardie traits to it. "Don't worry though, it's not like I'm hell bent on getting myself actively killed." The pilot shoved his tray to the side before he stretched himself, a few audible cracks heard in his joints before he yawned. "Anyway, I do have some work to do Bila. Fighter maintenance to be exact. Feel free to use my room if needed, if not I'll catch you when I can. Don't leave without being a stranger. Or I swear I'll punch you." he smiled as he couldn't stay pissed off at his true friend for long.

FIN
 
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