Day 35 [2135 hrs.] Sinking

Re: Day 35 [2135 hrs.] Sinking

Reply #25 – June 16, 2020, 10:00:41 PM

[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Public Bathing Area | Deck 06 | Vector 02| USS Theurgy ] Attn: @stardust
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Leaning forward again, and sending the water sloshing up against the sides of the tub, Sarresh contemplated the pad of the other woman's fingertip, tilting his head slightly to the side. His eyes blinked a few times then nodded, with a small frown passing over his face as he tried to picture a fruit that was fleshy colored and wrinkled. He looked down at his own hands, seeing a similar effect, and then back up in time to witness Samantha shiver and rub her shoulders theatrically. He snorted out a small burst of laughter and eased back again, shaking his head. "I'm not sure I'd like the look of a prune so I suppose I see your point."

He was sure that she found the situation as humorous as he did. Or perhaps it was that Sarresh found her point as humorous as she did? It was hard to tell. Lingering in the back of his consciousness, just below his ability to properly perceive was that remnant of the connection shared. Something easily opened again if given proper stimulation. The feedback loop was not as strong for him as it might be for Samantha, of course. He was not naturally telepathic, and the connection forged wasn't quite a proper mind meld, structured and deeply connected, but more of a surface level mingling. Not unlike the sharing of the tub going on, and how the gesture of one would send ripples along the water to the other. In any event, it was now there, and where it might lead in the future, Sarresh had no way of knowing or even understanding.

Only time would tell.

Blue and green and gray all seemed to swirl and swim about, vying for dominance in a truly alien fashion within the confines of Sarresh's eyes as he turned his gaze up to follow Samantha's movements. He tracked the trials of water running down from her shoulders, along the 'v' cut of her bathing suit, and over the edge of the tub, back into the warm depths still happily bubbling. The evening was clearly coming to an end, and Sarresh was surprised - or, perhaps not so surprised at all - that he was sad to see it over. Trustfulness could be a double-edged sword, and once again a small part of him wondered if he had been too open in the end, too forward, but all signs indicated that was not the case. After all, Samantha had laughed softly, and if he were to be any judge of human facial expressions, the smiles and looks she was shooting him as she extracted herself from the confines of the tub could most accurately be called 'warm' or possibly even, 'fond.'

He stared openly, leaning up and forward as she edged down - and thus was caught completely off guard by the splash of water that caught him square on. He swallowed some of it (not that it was a particularly large wave sent his way by any means) and sputtered, blinking it out of his eyes. With a shake of his head, Sarresh sent the water flying off his face, and he let out a soft laugh, watching as she set herself onto the tile floor. In turn he propped himself up, twisting a bit to rest his arm on the side of the tub and face her full on as she turned back to him.

For a long moment, they just seemed to stare at one another, locked in time, with her hand on him. The man's heart thudded a bit faster, in time with her. A sense of calm enjoyment settled in and Sarresh was sure that Samantha was being honest. Again, he did not read much into the surety, taking it at face value. His smile matched hers, even as she pulled away, breaking the contact. Relaxing his jaw, Sarresh took a long breath and let it out in a low sigh, lips curling into a sardonic sort of smirk. "I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Good night, Samantha Rutherford."

He leaned back in the tub, and would likely stay there for some time to come, running the encounter over in his head again, and again, analyzing every little moment, for encounters like these were rare, and so too were people like her. He could count them on the fingers of one hand. There was the promise of another encounter to come in the future, not quite bluntly stated but wonderfully implied. Soon enough she left him, his eyes never left her form as she made her way out of the room. It was a shame to see her leave, but watching was a treat in its own right.

"Samantha, Rutherford," he murmured the name again, trying it on for size as he closed his eyes and sunk down into the bubbling water. Sarresh never even noticed the smile that graced his lips as his head slid out of view beneath the warm, bubbling surface. What a curious mystery you're turning out to be...

-FIN -