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CH04: S [D03|1845] Down Time & Dinner

Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 hrs. ] Down Time & Dinner

[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Ji & Solessia's Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

The day had been rough.

Well that was a complete and utter understatement.  Her wound still throbbed slightly even though it was patched up.  She wasn't going to go over to Sickbay, they had people that were dying or missing body parts or needed far more medical attention than a Flight Deck Chief with a gash.  She had bled heavily mostly because she had been moving, fighting, walking, not giving up.  Luckily, modern medicine had been there and she had patched up quickly.  The pain would probably fade and she probably could replicate a small pain killer but it wasn't something she felt she needed to do.  The pain kept her sharp, aware, and ready for whatever was to come. 

She had spent the last couple hours trying to piece the remnants of her Flight deck back together.  She, Liam, Sten, and the others.  Dragging off the horned fuckers that had dared to try to make a stand on their deck.  She didn't know what happened to the bodies and frankly she didn't care.  She was beyond exhausted and wished that she could sleep but she couldn't.  Her mind wouldn't turn off no matter how hard she tried to get it to shut down it just kept running and playing the day's events over and over again. 

Ji was proud of her crew.  They weren't fighters, but they most definitely didn't lay down and let someone take what was theirs.  She regretted the loss of the ship she had tried valiantly to save but she knew that there was nothing more she could have done.  She was going to have to rebuild the whole tractor beam assembly and that was one of the first things on her 'to do' list along with moving the carnage and salvaging what they could use other places.  Ji brushed a hand through her still damp hair.  Showers had been good, it had made her feel human again and also reminded her of the last time she had been in the shower with someone.  Liam had been there, when she was hurt.  Holding her hand until he had to go.  She remembered his familiar face and the dingy yellow of his dirty soot covered deck suit.

Chris had come too, she had been mostly mended up by that point and she didn't know what to say.  She felt like rebuking him in public would be a bad idea.  There were a lot of people that liked Chris.  She had thought about being one of them, but some of his actions the way he pushed himself into deep signs of love and adoration when they had barely been on a single date yet had pushed her straight out of the desire to pursue him more.  That was before she had come to her Quarters.  It was the only time while she peeled off the remnants of her bloody flight suit that she remembered the messages she had received prior to hell breaking loose on the deck.  She had never listened to them so while she waited for hot water to become a thing she listened to them. 

His voice had been the first one, the video clip showed him in the gym and talking to her in his full flight gear minus his helmet.  He professed himself to her, dedicating himself to her again.  Ji grabbed her tooth brush off the sink and smeared it with the paste that would clean them as she listened.  Taking her anger and frustration out on her otherwise healthy gums.  He pushed too hard and yet he's pushing again.  There's no giving me time with this guy.  She listened to the whole message and including his garbled Korean at the end.  Korean was not easy to learn and there was formal and informal to boot.  She appreciated his sincerity on trying but she wished that he didn't try so hard.  It was okay to just speak in your own language you didn't have to learn a whole new one.  She spit into the sink.

Ji stopped the messages and hit the shower.  Cleaning every ounce of her body that she could reach and scrub with hot water and a lot of soap careful of her wound just because it was still a delicate and vulnerable area with the recent events.  She cleaned herself and washed her hair before hitting the water shut off valve.  For a long moment she just stood there hearing the water drip off her body and to the floor where it slowly meandered it's way to the drain at her feet.  Ji closed her eyes letting her forehead lean against the cool tile of the wall.  Flickers of the battles and horrors of the Flight Deck hit her eye lids.  She forced them open and grabbed a towel stepping out of the shower she quickly rid her body of the water and ruffled up her hair.

Now, Ji was sitting in front of her PADD in a pair of comfortable jeans, an oversized Starfleet sweatshirt against the chill of her room.  She needed to answer him, she would answer him, but she knew the fallout would be explosive.

Reaching forward she hit the record button.

“Hey.” she began.  “You shouldn't apologize for who and what you are.  You're being the person you are.  That's fine, but that doesn't mean it fits with me.  When you gave me that necklace, I said no, but you curled my hand around it and so I took it.  Because I didn't want to hurt you.  But then I realized I was doing neither of us any favors.  I didn't want the necklace, it was too much.  It wasn't just a gift it was your literal family member in jewelry form.  I can't accept that, I don't want to accept that, that's something you save for the woman you're going to marry not someone you just ate breakfast and dinner with.”

Ji sighed, she was trying to be gentle.  Part of her wanted to tell him to get bent and the other part felt bad for what was likely going to break his heart.  But, it had to be done.  She wasn't the girl for him and he wasn't the guy for her.  She didn't even know if Liam was, but they had decided to move slowly and find out.  They had the chemistry and hopefully the rest would follow.  Who knew though, and that was okay it was part of dating.  Nothing was set in stone, it was all something that could grow with care.  Like a seedling.

“Thank you for getting to know me, and for trying my food and .. my language.  I will be honest, you were kind and nice and sweet.  You will be the right guy for some girl, just not this girl.  You need to be yourself and find who you are deep inside.  You need to come to terms with what you want and need before you seek it in someone else.  When you find her, don't be pushy, let it flow.” she smiled softly.  “I didn't want this to turn into a sad message.  Keep being yourself, and I'll see you around.”

She killed the message and sent it off so that Chris would receive it where ever he was on the ship.  Tearing off her sweat shirt she tossed it onto her desk chair and pulled on a simple tshirt.  It was green in color and a bit loose, probably over stretched a bit from too much wearing and washing but it was comfortable and that was what Ji was all about.  She could class up if she needed to but having food at Liam's wasn't exactly a dress classy kind of place.  Pushing her feet into her shoes she brushed her fingers through her short hair to give it some kind of order and double checked herself in the mirror.  No make up, nothing fancy, just Ji.  It was how things should be. 

Ji headed out of her Quarters and worked herself down the hall towards Liam's.  He wasn't far and she was glad that he was on the same deck as her.  It would be easier to pop by when there was time for it.  Thumbs hooked into her pockets she made her way to the door with his number on it and pinged the bell.  She hoped that he was ready.  They didn't have a lot of time off, and there was so much work piled on both their metaphorical desks at the moment.  But she felt it was important to take the time that they could to have a good time with each other when the opportunity arose.  Besides, she wanted to get to know him better.

She hoped he was as excited as she was.  It was kind of fun, to see what would happen and how things would go.  Who knew what the future held... but she was certainly going to put her best foot forward.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #1 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Given the... slightly unorthodox shift in the Theurgy's fighter bay that afternoon, it was not like Liam had much time at all after he got to his quarters before Chief Ji would appear. He'd just been happy to see that she was all right after all the commotion, and that she hadn't been one of the bodies dragged off the deck - leaving trails of blue, red or translucent blood across the plating.

By the time they finally got to leave the bay, the extent and time needed to rectify all the immaterial damage hadn't been fully assessed yet. Liam reckoned Covington would have results by the alpha shift the next day, but at least the Tac CONN officers on call through the next twelve hours would be able to land and take off without greater difficulty. The largest - literally - hurdle had been the Asurian saucer sitting squarely in the middle of the bay doors. Since Liam had gutted the thing internally with the ECMs, it was hardly like they could fly the thing out of there, so the only option had been to use the remaining tractor rigging in the bay and moved it to the side for the time being. It would be one-lane take-offs until the brass decided what to do with the piece of junk.

Yet as he sat there in his quarters, air-drying after his shower, Liam was looking at the scans of the large beam emitters on the saucer, trying to make sense of their construct, power source and energy emissions. It was all hieroglyphics for him. He was the guy to handle the hardware and make sure it was in prime condition, making sure there were no accidents and that the pilots knew what they had strapped under their wings. But these scans? He couldn't even begin to guess how there could be some kind of weaponised gravimetric beam coming out of them. The specs were not Federation in the slightest.

What the hell are these things? he asked himself as he frowned at the PADD, getting up and stepping towards the bed, the overhead light running across his bare form. He knew he had to tear himself away from the scans, that Ji were bound to arrive any minute, but he was still too engrossed to notice the first time the chime rang. Oh, no...

He tossed the PADD his smooth sheets and rummaged through his wardrobe. "Just a minute!" he called, not sure if Ji would hear him through two sets of doors. Likely not. Mumbling about his forgetfulness, his body aching all over after the finished shift, tried to find underwear but he remembered that he had none, Ji replicating his last set when they'd been in her quarters. He didn't have time to replicate new ones either, so it was either getting a towel and answering the door, or pulling on some grey Starfleet issue gym pants right away. He opted for the latter since they were within reach and then hurried out into the shared area between his own and his elusive roommate's quarters.

"Enter!" he remembered to say, tying the strings on his gym pants while the doors whooshed open. "Hi! I... umm... I kind of lost track of time, and yeah. Um..."

He scratched the back of his neck, glanced towards the closed doors of his roommate with the half-baked idea that he'd be a gentleman and introduce Ji (even though he'd never met him or her himself) but decided against it. "What do you want?" he asked instead, nodding towards the replicator in the shared room since he might not make much sense. "To eat, that is. Are you hungry? I'm famished. I mean, what a day, right?"

He chuckled awkwardly, feeling like he'd never been a worse host, but he hoped Ji would understand.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #2 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Liam's Quarters |  Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

“Just a minute!”

Ji snorted as she leaned against the frame of the door waiting for him.  She couldn't help but wonder just what it was he was doing in there, but she figured she would find out in due time.  If he was anything like her he was so engrossed in his work the time had gotten away from him.  If not, he was just sleeping or something.  A thing that she totally wanted to do herself.  But, time with friends and with guys she was quite interested in were limited.  She most certainly wasn't going to toss Liam to the side in the hopes of catching some extra Z's.  Whether she should or not was not the question.  She would manage and the likelihood was that they would pass out together anyway.  Maybe, if this went well.  Who knew, she wasn't about pressure.  That was what scared her away from Chris.  She felt bad for having to send a message like that and if he wanted to talk in person she could explain it to him but he had just not been what she needed at the time.

The door opened and her dark brown eyes shifted upward and began to take in the scenery.  Liam still tying the gym pants onto his form, his upper half was bare.  He was clean, likely, he had taken a shower when he had gotten home as she had.  She smirked at him as he told her that time got away from him giving a shrug and a nod she stepped into the Quarters letting the door slide closed behind her.  Her eyes shifted around taking in how similar his Quarters were to her own.  Also shared, like her own.  Though Solessia was hardly ever home, she tended to stay in the Officer Quarters with the squeeze of the week.. day.. hour.  Who knew. 

Ji took a moment to just stare at Liam.  He was rubbing the back of his neck as though he was bashful, she doubted that he was, only that he had been caught unawares.  At least, he hadn't been bashful in the Holodeck or in the shower.  Asking her what she wanted got  him a brow risen on her forehead for a moment and a chuckle from her lips as he corrected himself.  He seemed so nervous.  It was a side to Liam that she had never seen before and it was.. frankly, adorable.

Ji strode across the Quarters and caught his arm before pulling him into a long hug.  Making his tall lanky frame fold down onto hers she just held him for a long long moment.  Breathing in his scent and just .. being there for a moment with him.  “I'm so glad we both made it out of that hell hole.” she whispered softly.  Her arms stayed around him for a long moment, probably long enough that if they hadn't been intimate with each other it would have been very awkward but honestly she had been too hurt and in too much pain on the deck to really connect with him the way she had wanted to.  Now, she could hold him and wanted to do so.  Finally, she pulled back and blushed, “Sorry I just..” taking a deep breath she let it go, “..I needed to do that.”

Clearing her throat she brushed her hair out of her face with a hand and let out a long breath.  Blush coloring her cheeks as she said that.  She wasn't and did not want to be clingy.  However, she was really glad he was uninjured and that her own injury hadn't needed a visit to the Sickbay.  Letting go of her hair, her hand slapped her jeans slightly as she let her hand fall for a minute.

“Um.  So yeah!  Food.  Right.  Um, whatever is good.  I'm not sure what you normally like to eat.” she admitted looking over at him with those big eyes of hers.  “So replicate something you like to eat.  I'm pretty open to food.” she gave a shrug, as she followed him to the replicator.  “Are you doing all right?  After.. everything?” she asked while she watched him punching in things to be replicated so they could eat.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #3 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Oh, Ji certainly didn't seem to mind his forgetfulness, since in short order, she hugged him close. It reminded him about what they'd just been through, and how either of them might have died. He remembered vividly how the rigging had fallen down on her, after the tallest of the aliens had shot it down. He thought he'd lost her then, and had she just been a little bit late in getting out of the way, she'd not been there in his quarters with him. Then again, judging by what he'd learned about her in their short time together, was he really that surprised when she stepped out in front of the raging horde of Asurian boarders and started to fight them with her bare hands?

Nonetheless, he understood her sentiment, returning the embrace in full.

She seemed a bit embarrassed about it afterwards, but Liam didn't linger on that more than thinking she looked really cute when she blushed. Such a stark contrast to her demeanour whilst they were on the clock in the fighter bay. Since she wanted him to replicate the food for them, he did, gesturing for her to have a seat on the bed. As NCOs with their kinds of quarters, they had no real table to sit by inside his bedroom, making the mess hall the better option most of the time. "Two naco plates with chips, minced meat, a little cheese, corn, lettuce, union and cucumber, please. Oh, and some taco sauce and a glass of water."

Having made his order of drink, he turned to look her way with a smile. "Do you want some water too, or should we... order something more festive, to... you know, celebrate that we actually survived this mess?"

Liam usually wasn't keen on drinking either alcohol or synthehol, but he'd do so when it was merited. The occasion might call for it, but since he'd seen what drinking had done to his grandfather, he usually preferred to stay away from intoxicating drinks. Moreover, he liked to take care of himself, and didn't eat or drink in in excess either. It had always been like that, so he didn't even think about it. Once she'd decided on what they'd drink, Liam carried the plats to the bed and set them down between them. He sat down facing her on the edge of the bed, and raised his glass.

"To being alive, and actually having this dinner," he said and chuckled, because that was quite a bit to be thankful for, all things considered. "And might I say you look awesome when dressing casual."

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #4 –
CPO Eun Sae Ji | Liam's Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

The hug was long, and it felt amazing.  She knew they couldn't be like this often on the flight deck and she was actually rather surprised when he had come to her and knelt down talking to her on the bay when she was hurt and getting all fixed up.  She was just glad he was okay and that the, together, were going to be fine.  At least for now.  She would be happy if she never had to live another battle like that but knowing the Theurgy it would likely happen.  It seemed they found the worst of the universe.  As she let go he motioned for her to sit on the bed so she crossed the small room and kicked off her shoes before she climbed up on the bed and slid to the back where she leaned against the head board.  His room looked a lot like her own though she was kind of searching for any signs of personalization.  She figured that his room would probably tell her as much about her as she could get without asking a million questions.

He ordered some food, she wasn't sure what it all was, she mostly just ate Korean or whatever sounded halfway palatable from the replicators.  She didn't know all the names but they smelled good as they came into being.  She brushed her hair behind her ear as he asked her what she might want to drink.  Pursing her lips in thought for a moment she decided that she most definitely wanted to celebrate.  “Get some booze!  Some Soju.  It's Korean, and strong as shit, it'll get you drunk on your second bottle, tops.” she laughed softly, the bottles weren't large either.   They were about the size of a regular beer bottle, green in color, silver label.  The replicator knew it mostly because she tended to do it when she had the time and was in low danger of being called out on duty.

He came over with all his plates.  She helped him arrange them on the bed, she would try her best not to stain it.  She didn't want to stain it anyway.  He sat down facing her and she turned her body so that she could face him as well.  Picking up a bottle of soju she popped the top and quickly poured two glasses until they were mostly full.  Just shot glasses, they needed to take it slow this stuff could take you out quickly if you weren't careful or used to drinking it.  She handed him one, though if he drank it now or later was up to him.  She wouldn't be upset if he stuck with water, she wasn't a pushy person and didn't think she knew what was best for everyone other than her.

“To being alive, to screwing over those aliens, to being badasses, And .. to us.” she smiled warmly at him as she clinked her soju with whatever glass he had decided to go with.  She took the whole shot back instantly.  Swallowing she made a sound in her throat like a 'kkkkkkkkkkkk' and then she grinned pouring herself another.  In Korean culture he would pour for her and she would pour for him because that was how it was done.  You usually only poured your own drink when you were alone.  But, it didn't matter here in a bedroom where Liam slept his nights when he wasn't on shift.

She chuckled when he mentioned her casual dress.  “Well thanks, I wore it just for you.  But I must say you're half dressed state is even better.” she chuckled as she took the next shot of her soju and then she put the glass down so that she could try one of these chips covered in meat, vegetables, and cheese.  Lifting it to her lips she quickly took a bite, the chip crunching in her mouth, her brow rose softly as she realized that it was actually really good.

“This is really good, do you eat these often?” she asked him curiously.  “I really want to know more about you.  About what you like, or don't like, or just tollerate.” she chuckled again and gave a shrug.  “Like twenty questions again, but without the hot holodeck and the upside down plane.  Man that was rough too, I'm .. mildly claustrophobic, you were all that kept me from freaking the fuck out.” she admitted shaking her head.

“Nothing like the fighter bay though.  How are you holding up Li?” she asked picking up another chip and crunching it carefully.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #5 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Hard liquor was one of those things he tolerated, at best, but to the occasion, he'd accommodate Eun Sae Ji in her wish to drink her Korean beverage with him. So, he had toasted with the Soju, drank it, grimaced, and let her pour again for them, but he'd rather not drink more... even if it didn't taste half bad.

Then came a flurry of questions, which he hardly had the breath to answer, ranging from a general inquisition about who he was, leading to a reminiscing about their time on the holodeck, to just asking how he was doing. She even squeezed in a compliment about his failure to dress properly, which admittedly had him wanting to go look for a t-shirt, but his fingers were already sticky with sauce from the nachos. He smiled and sucked the worst off them as he decided on an answer to the energetic and cute Chief on top of his bed. Perhaps it was the Soju rushing to his head, but for some reason, he inescapably began to think about Ji in his bed instead. So far, they'd had sex twice in quick succession, once on the holodeck and then in the shower, but he couldn't help wondering what it would be like in a proper bed. Distracted as he was, looking at her, he caught himself late in answering.

"I'm afraid that I'm not that interesting, really," he said and chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, "I have been lost for three years beyond known space, and I've ended up being all about the upkeep of a fighter bay. Making sure they were prepared to defend the ship at all times. I tend to make a fool of myself off duty, getting myself into trouble regardless my good intentions, and... I try to stay as healthy as possible. I like nacho plates, for sure, pasta, but I make sure to eat more vegetables and fruit than meat and carbohydrates. Between work, the gym, and running, the time has been scarce for more. I tend to take work home in the evenings, reading up on things before falling asleep early."

Clearing his throat, he decided to down the second Soju glass, just to make himself stop talking and perhaps become less nervous about talking about his sorry life. He grimaced again, putting the glass aside. "I'm not much for drinking either, boring as I am, but I do think our celebration merits it," he said, feeling a bit lightheaded from the liquor. "We had some close calls... Almost thought I lost you."

His blue eyes sought hers, a bit emboldened by the Soju. "I'd hate to loose you."

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #6 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

Another nacho, another crunch, another toss back of a small glass of soju.  In Korea when you grew up your father was usually the one that bought you your first drink.  It had been this way with Ji as well.  She had been taken out when she had been in her last year of high school to a small tent on the sidewalk.  The clear plastic windows and the plastic chairs, metal tables for cooking meat in the center grills.  She had sat at one of those small tables and her father had poured them both soju while they talked about her future prospects and if there were any boys chasing her.  Every father's dream in Korea was that his daughter would catch the eye of some well to do family, be cared for, rich, and taken up a level in society.  That hadn't been what Ji wanted, and it definitely wasn't what she got.  Though she had a feeling that her father would probably like Liam if he ever got a chance to meet him.  Except that he would challenge him to a drinking contest. 

One that Liam would likely fail.

He told her that he wasn't very interesting.  “I'm pretty sure that no one considers themselves interesting.” she gave a shrug, and that was true.  She most certainly didn't consider herself that what so ever.  But, she didn't care either.  She was the person that she was.  That was either for people or it wasn't but she wasn't going to push herself into being something that she wasn't.  Though sometimes she feared she would be single forever, at least right now, she had a decent shot.  She wasn't going to push it, but she was excited to see where things would go and develop with Liam.

He mentioned that he had been lost for three years.  Her brow rose slowly on her forehead, she didn't know much about Liam.  Other than he hadn't been original Theurgy crew like she had.  He had come from the other ship recently and she remembered resenting him when he was given the position that she had coveted for herself.  Though, that was before she got to know him, while they were working together.  Now, she found herself rather enjoying his company and less mad at him, just pissed at Sten.  But, that had nothing to do with the promotion of Liam and everything about sending her away.

“Tell me about your life on the other ship?” she asked softly as she took another chip from the plate between them.  He told her that he tended to be a goof off duty and she chuckled.  She would like to see that, and hopefully when things settled down she would get to see that side of Liam.  Right now it was hard to imagine him being anything other than soft and then fierce when it came to his work.  Liam mentioned that he mostly ate healthy but sometimes he treated himself, and that he had little down time and tended to hit the sack early.

Eun Sae smiled.  “You sound like me.  I work.. probably more than I should, but I work my full shift and then take stuff home with me to finish up while I'm there.  I eat quick meals out of the replicator, though I'm a huge ramen fan, I try not to eat it every day.  I hit the gym when I can, and tend to pass out while reading manuals or old crew logs.” she gave a shrug of her shoulder.  “I guess, I'm not all that interested either.”

He finished his second Soju and she tossed back her third.  Swallowing it she grinned as the heated and familiar burn slid down her throat and towards her stomach.  Grabbing up another chip she just took a bite when he began to talk about their day and how he didn't normally drink hard liquor but today was a celebration of the fact that they lived and he felt it was earned.  “Fuck yeah it was.” she chuckled.  Her face softened when he admited that he couldn't even grasp the thought of losing her.  Dark brown eyes slid up to his blue ones and locked there for a long moment.  A blush dancing across her cheek bones, she smiled softly.

“I'm glad you didn't lose me.  I'm glad I didn't lose you.” she said honestly.  “I know this is all very new to the both of us, but I feel like there's something between us that will only grow with time.  Our lives are hectic, and I know it'll be complicated working together as we date, but I think we're both professional enough to pull it off.  Besides, it's nice to have someone to look for.  To care about.. to .. grow with.  Fight for.”

Ji tossed back her fourth drink, she checked the bottle.  They still had enough for a couple more drinks before it was empty.  If he wasn't into hard liquor then that would be all right.  She just wouldn't replicate another bottle, because she could easily do about three bottles before she really started feeling it.  Her father said she had a gut of steel.  “I was really scared.. when you went into the fighter where that alien was.  And then when you were there, beside me on the deck, I felt really at ease.” she admitted looking down at her glass filled with the clear liquid and then her eyes caught his again. 

Time to be.. not mushy, Ji.  You're not even done with dinner yet.

“But.. where did you originally come from?  I know the other ship but.. where were you born.. raised.. your .. family?”  she asked changing the subject.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #7 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
After she had talked about how she had great faith in the two of them becoming a thing, making Liam uncomfortable since he was more into letting things happen spontaneously, she did let him off the hook by asking him where he originated from, which was hardly surprising. They really didn't know that much about each other, even if he was more than familiar with her in a... less clothed way. He wasn't wearing much now either, but had a lot to tell. He just didn't want to talk her ears off.

"I... am the oldest in a line of three brothers. Duties and all, and no matter how little I've kept in touch with them, I like my family. Life has just happened, and I only managed to contact them once when we got to Starbase 84. Told them I was fine and alive, and that I'd be seeing them soon. Only... that parasite-infested Base Commander happened, naming us traitors to the fleet, and we only survived thanks to Captan Ives' rescue. Not sure what they make of me now."

Liam decided to move on. "Born in the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, and later began my duties there after my parents returned. I could beam home to the colony on Mars every day. I worked on the Peregrine-class attack fighters that were active during the Dominion War. I got in a bit of trouble because I was a more black-and-white kind of guy when it came to fixing things. Either it worked or it didn't. I was a mess at improvising solutions. Younger and prideful, I'd like to think the voyage on the Resolve has tempered me a bit. I know when I err, and I don't blame the brass for it. I was a tad arrogant, I admit, not owning up to my mistakes."

He cleared his throat, downed more of the Soju, which had become quite smooth in going down by that point. "The Valkyrie Program launched its Mk I fighter in 2375, and by then, I was pretty good with mechanical engineering - which added to my pride. I developed a specialisation for fitting and loading torpedo based weaponry and calibrating targeting software, which was only rivalled by my interest in the new pulse phaser technology of that time. Shortly after that, I was assigned to the USS Resolve, and I got to learn how to serve in a fighter bay for some time before the Resolve was thrown across the Galaxy by that anomaly in early 2378. The rest... you pretty much know. I was friends with Erik Randall, the Chief of the Deck on the Resolve, and I became his Asst. Chief during the voyage."

Their nachos were running out, and with another swig of Soju, Liam felt a bit warmer, despite his lack of a shirt. "Would it be wrong of me to say you're a bit overdressed for this date, considering your company?" he asked and chuckled, standing up with his glass in hand and looking about. "Let's see if I can't find a t-shirt somewhere... Please, how about you? Where you from?"

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #8 –
CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

Ji's chocolate eyes surveyed Liam's face.  She could tell that her talking about a relationship with the both of them had thrown him a bit off guard so she reminded herself to cool it.  She definitely didn't want to be pushy.  Having been pushed herself, she didn't want to be that person for someone else.  She had to admit she enjoyed the time that she spent with Liam and she hoped that they could continue seeing each other.  However, that was ultimately up to him and she was not going to push him.  If he enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed his then it would happen naturally.

He began to tell her that he was the oldest of three brothers and so his life had started out with a lot of responsibility and duty.  She could understand that all too well but she didn't want to interrupt him so she allowed him to keep talking while she poured herself another small glass of soju.  He told her that he had barely had contact with his family since he left and that he knew they had talked after Starbase 84 but then not again after that.  Now he was on the ship that was listed as the most wanted traitorous ship in Starfleet.  There was no telling what they thought about him.

“I .. I have the same fears.” she said softly.  “That my Omma and Appa will think less of me, but then I remind myself that they raised me.  They would also trust me that I know what I'm doing.  That I wouldn't be a Traitor.  At least.. that's what I'm hoping for.” she said honestly with a bit of a sad and soft smile.

He moved on talking about where he was born and how he could beam home every day.  Then he worked on the ships that were active during the Dominion War.  He got in trouble here and there but it seemed that it was only because he was a straight forward guy and not quite someone that was good at solving problems on the fly.  There was nothing wrong with that but she could tell he felt a bit self conscious about the whole thing.  She reached over and took his hand for a moment giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You should realize that everyone has their strengths.  You probably have every manual memorized, more so than I do.  Don't think less of yourself because you might be more black and white, sure sometimes you need that ingenuity, but there are so many kinds of people here.  So many different people with different skill sets, that's why we're a team.  We're not alone here, having to work the fighter bay, we come together so that all our strengths make us the strongest.” she reassured him, hoping he wouldn't think she was placating him.

She listened to the rest of his story and finished the last nacho that she was going to eat.  The soju was empty now and she would have to get up and replicate another one.  All of a sudden he told her that she was completely over dressed for the date they were having since he was missing his shirt.  She chuckled softly and gave a shrug.

“I have to step up my game, can't have you thinking I don't care.” she winked.  She hadn't dressed up at all, just jeans and a comfortable tshirt, but she liked when he joked around with her.  He was such a good guy, she felt lucky that he was giving her some of his attention.  It would be cool to see how this all developed.  She was eager for more time with him but she would be patient as she knew that it wasn't as easy as that most of the time.  They didn't live the luxury of lives where you could just go on a date every evening.  At least not right now.  Right now, they were living a luxury, that probably wouldn't be around tomorrow, but once things with the ship settled down, maybe .. maybe then. 

He got up to find himself a shirt.  “You don't have to!” she called out.  “ I mean, if you're uncomfortable by all means, but it isn't as if I'm not enjoying the show.” she said as she got off the bed and headed to the replicator to get another bottle of soju.  It was good stuff and reminded her of home.  He asked her about herself and she thought about what exactly she should say.  She didn't want to have word vomit either.

“I was born in Korea, raised there.  I never really was into academics.  It was never my thing and in Korea that's basically blasphemy.  Grades and jobs above all else.  Best grades, gets you a good job, gets you good money, and then you are in a better spot than your parents.  For women all of that means you marry up and get even better as you make babies and keep house and make your husband happy.” 

She rolled her eyes expressively as she walked back to the bed and she opened the bottle of soju and poured herself a cup before she looked back over a Liam.

“I know my parents would rather I was like my brother or my sister, with their high paying jobs and college educations.  But that was never for me.  It wasn't until I attended an air show that I knew what I wanted to do with myself.  The planes, the fighters, the beauty, the grace, the absolute fucking power... oh fuck, Liam, I just was beside myself.  I found this Squadron in Korea called The Black Eagles.”  She pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and showed him the tattoo of their emblem on her shoulder. 

“They were all I needed.  I hung around them as often as I could and learned about mechanics, propulsion, and everything that I could manage to gain from them.  I knew that was my calling.  So I joined Starfleet.  I was on various ships after the Academy until I got picked for the Theurgy and joined up as fast as I could.  Other than my brief stint on the Harbinger, which I don't like to talk about.. overall... I haven't left.” she gave a shrug.

“I don't really.. want to honestly.  I like it here, I like my job, though at one point I wanted your job.. that didn't happen.  Not that I am sad you have it, I'm just sad I don't have...” she gave a shrug and looked at her glass of Soju that was likely making her say all of this before she swallowed it anyway.  She looked down at her empty glass for a moment.  Then back up at Liam.

“What are your hopes for the future?  Besides clearing our name and seeing your family because.. that's kind of a given.” she teased pouring herself another glass.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #9 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
When asked what his hopes for the future were, Liam was still thinking about the comment about her wanting his job, wondering why she hadn't been picked above himself. Of course, Covington had said it was because he was from the Resolve, and Sten needed him to help the deck crew from the Resolve to get into gear on the Theurgy. But did that truly mean that he wouldn't be able to do so whilst 'just' the Head of Weaponry and Armament?

Was there more to his promotion over Ji than Covington had told him?

"I... have not been back to Mars in forever," he said, pausing in thought and stopping his search for a t-shirt. "I mean, the holodecks were essential to keep the crew sane during the years on the Resolve, when there was enough power to run them, but home? The real deal, you know? That's what I have been missing. To visit all the places in the colony, the ones that the holodeck can't truly give justice to. To see if the same people work in the stores, and to take a rover... and just head straight out into the red dunes. Not like the tourist tours around the colony, sightseeing the outer structure, but out into the unconditioned zones, and just go as fast as you can, putting the suspension in the rover through its paces."

He chuckled at another memory from the fleet yards, coming to stand before Ji while he talked, hands on his hips. "I once stole a worker bee, back when I worked on the Peregrines, and raced some of the other Enlisted through the drydocks above the atmosphere. We were caught, of course, but it took them some time to catch up with us. By then, we'd almost depleted the small quantite cores on those old bees, and while I didn't win any of the races we held, it's a memory that stays with me. Not just the reprimands and the disciplinary duties that followed, but the recklessness and care-free time I shared with the other recruits."

He cleared his throat, realising he'd likely been talking forever about something he couldn't really share with her. "To do those things again, for real, that's what I am hoping for...." he said, shrugging where he stood, "and I suppose that means I really want my freedom, when all this is over. Otherwise, I'd never get the chance."

Having talked about what he wanted for the future, the notion that things were not quite what they seemed between Ji and Covington lingered with Liam, and he tilted his head a bit. "I've been meaning to ask," he said and sat down next Ji again, on the side where there wasn't an empty plate between them, and casually put his bare arm around her waist. He looked into her deep, brown eyes, but there was a worried frown creasing his forehead. "Is everything okay between you and the Chief? If you wanted my job, and you're clearly qualified for it... why did Sten ask me instead? He'd never actually seen me work before, just read my file and qualifications. He told me it was because of the large number of new deck hands that knew me better than him... but I could have helped him without becoming the Asst. Chief of the Deck."

He paused, thinking back on the reports about the Theurgy's voyage before the battle at Starbase 84. She'd mentioned being on the Harbinger, and that made even less sense. Had she been transferred against her will? "Did something happen?"

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #10 –
CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

She liked to hear him talk of home.  The warmth in his voice when he spoke of Mars.  She hoped that one day they would all be able to return to their homes, not in defeat but in the knowledge that they had been right and justified in their actions.  When the threat of the parasitic invasion had been ousted and they were able to come home as heros she couldn't not wait to see the faces of her parents.  She had been part of that.  Eun Sae.  It was hard because she knew that overly, she had always been a disappointment, to her parents.  She had never truly reveled in school and book learning the way that her brother and sister had.  Yet, she had still made something of herself.  She pondered the thought that her father would never truly accept the fact that she was a glorified mechanic, and she likely wasn't getting paid any more now that she was a traitor.  He would probably bring that up too.  Traitors didn't make money, but for Ji it wasn't so much about the money right now.  It was about the Theurgy, her crew, being right, and fighting for the honor of the Federation.

“I do hope, for all of us, that we one day get to go back home.” she said warmly but there was a tone of sadness that colored her words.  She missed home.  She missed real Korean food, she missed the options, she missed her Unni and her brother.  She missed the bustle of Seoul.  Nothing could compare to Korea for her.  Not even all the similar places that she had visited on her travels with the Federation.  Nothing could quite touch the things that Korea could.  That spot in her heart that was just for home.

He told her about the time that he stole the worker bee, and raced it.  She smiled listening to the story, she enjoyed these little insights into Liam.  While he truly believed that he was uninteresting she fully believed it was the opposite.  He crossed the room and sat beside her.  “All we can hope for is that we can hold out long enough for the Federation to see our merit.” she said as she lay her hand on top of his.

But the subject change, which was rather abrupt but somehow not overly unexpected, surprised her a little bit.  She pulled her hand back into her lap as he asked her what was going on between her and Sten.  He went on to inquire just why it was that she got passed up from the job when she was clearly qualified.  A chuckle, dark and slightly sad, graced her lips as she thought about the best way to word everything.

For a moment she was quiet, he could probably imagine that her mind was going a million miles a minute while she was trying to figure out how best to embark on this tale.  She had a feeling that when she finished he might be angry at Sten too, or he might see her as tainted.  She wasn't actually sure what would happen but he deserved to know.

“It was a little while ago, not very long though, just.. I don't know time runs together.  But, during an attack there was an Incident that created all these.. intimate feelings in various officers.  I tried to fight it off, I wasn't interested in anyone at the time.  Sten and I got locked into a storage room, we couldn't get out and eventually we couldn't fight the feelings anymore and we slept together in there.  Once the whole Ishtar thing was over with... it was just super awkward.  We didn't know what to think or do with each other.  There was this elephant in the room and it was .. just.. not something easily walked around.”

She shrugged her shoulders.  “Well, I guess his response to that was to send me to the Harbinger” she admitted.  “I was just sent there.  No explanation.. nothing. You .. already know what happened there and when I came back I didn't have my Quarters or anything any more.  I was just going to sleep in the Maintenance Bay when Sten offered me his Quarters, he didn't want me sleeping without a bed. When he offered me a place in his Quarters I thought.. hey maybe he regrets the Harbinger and wanted to get close.  Maybe he missed me when I was gone.  But I guess I was just a foolish girl, I shouldn't have expected anything more.  Well.... of course.. one thing lead to another and we slept together again.  This time, he didn't send me to another ship he just .. ignored me afterwards.  I tried to talk to him, he didn't want to talk back, and was too busy.  So I let it go but.. when he gave you the promotion over me, I felt that it was his way of putting me back in my place.  Reminding me that I have no control and no place in his life.  Which is fine, I've moved past any feelings I might have had for him.”

She shrugged her shoulders, but the whole situation did seem to bother her a little bit.

“So now you're all caught up on what it's like to be Eun Sae, 101.” she smirked as she looked up at him with her brown eyes, hoping he wouldn't judge her too harshly.  Hoping that he wouldn't find her disgusting but that was all in his hands. 

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #11 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Listening to Ji talking, it wasn't so much what she said as how she said it that told Liam how hurt she was, her trust in the Chief betrayed twice over in such a brutal fashion. Hearing it, Liam was surprised she hadn't caved Covington's skull in with a hyperspanner. On top of it all, he didn't know how he'd react if he'd been in her shoes, sleeping with the man and getting transferred off to another ship because the Chief couldn't man up and sort things out with him. And then, to end up having sex with him once more, after it, and then get the cold shoulder?

More than feeling like Ji came with a lot of troublesome baggage, and that the situation in Fighter Ops' leadership suddenly just got really strange and awkward, Liam was actually just angry on Ji's behalf. His browridge lowered, he looked away while he thought things over, not really sure what he was supposed to say. Of course, there was the obvious question, in which he wondered why she'd sleep with him a second time after he transferred her off like that, but he hadn't been there, and didn't know anything about what had happened besides what she told him. Perhaps she hoped to reconcile with Sten? Perhaps more?

Only to be treated like that? And having me promoted over her as soon as I came aboard?

"I'm not sure what to say," he said and looked back towards Ji, the frown on his brow lessening. "You've been through a lot on this ship, and as if the voyage itself hasn't been strange enough, you hear things like this, about the ramifications of it all between the people you are supposed to serve with. I can't imagine what happened since I wasn't there, it just sounds so cruel, even if people might not be entirely themselves anymore, having lived through it. I know for a fact I'm not the same since I first stepped aboard the Resolve, so I can - at least - understand that much."

He raised a calloused hand to her and ran it through her hair - raking it back from her face with his fingers. He tilted his head as he looked her in the eye. "Are you okay though?" he asked, his hand coming to rest behind her neck. "Despite what unsaid words remain between you and the Chief, I do not want to muddle the waters for you. If you want to challenge his decision, calling him out on his poor... 'managerial skills', I'd support it. I have quite enough on my plate as it is just running Weaponry and Armament, so if Covington changes his mind, naming you instead someday, I certainly wouldn't mind serving underneath you."

OOC: Sorry for the slight delay. My weekend was spent working on the summer house, putting up drains while still keeping the kids happy and entertained. :)

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #12 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

The silence was heavy.

Some would say deafening but it wasn't.  It wasn't as though she couldn't hear him, she could hear him breathing, and as her dark eyes flickered over to his tall lanky form.. she could see the wheels turning in his mind as he processed all the information.  Of course, there was a fear in the pit of her stomach that this would all be too much for Liam.  He had only just come onto the ship some matter of days ago and he was still very new.  New position, new ship, new life.  Then she was coming into it and probably complicating things far beyond what was actually necessary.  He didn't deserve to have to listen to her baggage.  She never once would expect him to deal with it for her, that wasn't her way, Ji was a strong woman but he was also her boss.  She couldn't just treat Sten the way she would any other fucker that treated her like that.  He was nearly untouchable.

He finally spoke, and she looked up at him with those soft dark orbs of hers.  Reading and searching over his face for some kind of answer.  There had to be one there, didn't there.  She gave a nod.  “You and me both.” she said softly as she brushed her bangs out of her face.  Thoughts of nachos and soju were off her mind at the moment.  He was there beside her, still, he hadn't gotten up with revulsion so there was always that.  A little bit of hope for her.  She hoped that she could still get her time to learn about Liam and get to understand more about him.  To get to bond and build more of something with him, but then, it was ultimately up to him. 

As he spoke, Ji listened, watching him while he did.  She knew that she wasn't everyone's cup of tea.  She was boy-ish and preferred grease under her fingernails over a fancy date with music and flowers.  Flowers were great; but they died, and she would much rather food and a good holovid over anything else.  He said that he understood how the things that happened during the ship could change a person and that people went through a lot here.  Living through it, working through it, surviving it. 

His large hand reached up to brush her hair from her face.  She smiled softly leaning into his touch just a little bit as he asked if she was okay.  Aside from needing a full on confrontation with Sten, something she didn't really want to do, because... she was afraid to lose her job which was one that she truly loved, he wanted to make sure she was doing all right.  He went on to tell her that if she wanted to ask Sten for his job that he would support her fully.  He had enough on his plate, causing a soft smile to grace her face as she slid her hand into his.

Her eyes looked up into his blue ones.  “I'm fucking pissed... actually.” she said with honesty and gave a shrug.  “But, he's also my boss.  I can't just go in there like a normal woman with a normal man and give him the shit he deserves.  He deserves to be slapped or something.  I'd rather not lose my position, what position I have.  It means too much to me.  It's hard to work with this.. giant .. thing in the room between us but he's made it perfectly clear he doesn't want to talk about it.” she gave a shrug of her strong shoulder.

“I don't want to take anything away from you Liam.  I actually like working with you.  I know you're technically my boss, but I feel like we work side by side more than we work on top or underneath each other at least.. on duty.  Besides, he'd probably just.. send me away again for questioning him.” she chuckled and nudged his shoulder with her own a  little playfully.  She took a deep breath and let it out before looking over at him with a smile.

“Thanks for worrying about me.  It's nice to have someone on my side.  It gets hectic on this ship, often, and there's something really nice about going to work and having something to look forward to.  Regardless of whatever happens with Sten, I know for a fact, that I at least have a friend in you if not, some day, more.”

She leaned in and kissed him softly and gently.  Because it was nice, really, to be close to someone.  Maybe even building something for the future.  This ship was so.. random and often found itself in danger tomorrow was never guaranteed.  When the kiss broke she looked up at him and said... “Just don't send me to another ship, okay?”  Her lips quirked in a slight smile, but her eyes were serious and it was clear that being sent away like that had hurt her.  It was the worst possible outcome to something like that.

She couldn't trust Sten.  It was hard not to trust your boss, the person that was giving you orders when you were on deck.  But, since the last time something had come up he sent her off.. she didn't trust being able to talk to him like an adult.  She feared being sent off again.  To the Savi.  To the Asaurians, to .. whatever and where ever he decided to send her next time she pissed him off.  It was a fear that lived in the pit of her stomach.  The fear over took her eyes and she looked down at her lap.  It wasn't something he could fix, really.  He couldn't change what had happened or what might happen in the future.  All he could do was be there for her and make life on the ship even better than it already was.

“Besides, you're good at your job.  Probably better than I would have been.”  she admitted softly.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #13 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Hearing Ji explain how she looked at the situation from her viewpoint, Liam could understand perfectly where she came from when saying she didn't wish to confront Covington about what he did to her, even if it wasn't okay by any stretch of the imagination.

"I see," he said, nodding before she prodded him with her shoulder and jested about the on-and-off duty difference in the phrase, making him chuckle. She looked him in the eye, grateful for his friendship, before suggesting there could be more... and kissed him. He might have been surprised, but he kissed her back, those lips of hers familiar and wished for since she'd arrived. He tilted his head to meet it in full, wrapping one arm around her waist where they sat on the bed. Kissing Ji had this excitement to it, this new intimacy they shared that they'd only gotten to explore so very briefly. It was an excitement yet scouted and enjoyed in full, and it came with a spark of elation in his mind, letting the hand that remained behind her neck pull her a little closer.

She asked him to not send her away, once their lips parted, and he looked into her eyes. Seeing how hurt she might have been, his answer came quickly. "Never."

"Besides, you're good at your job.  Probably better than I would have been."

"Nonsense," he said in a low voice to her, and forestalled any objection by kissing her anew. He pulled her closer with the arm around her waist, and ran his other hand through her hair - not letting up until much later. Even if she was content with him as second to Covington in Fighter Bay Ops, Liam had mean what he said about supporting her if she wanted the position, but then again, because of what happened between her and Sten, perhaps she was more comfortable this way - not having to work as closely with the older man than she already did.

"Just so that you know," he said, swallowing since his voice had become thick, "I do not hold it against you, what may have happened, and whatever remains for you to sort out with Sten. Nor do I claim any 'rights', much less get offended just because you and I are having sex now instead. I know what has happened so far between us. If felt real, and I have a hard time believing I am some kind of substitute for what you lost with Sten."

He leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed. "If you need to sort things out with Sten, and you end up with him nonetheless... I'd understand. I don't want you ending up more hurt than you already are, so I am merely grateful for this time I get with you."

For as long as it may last, given the dire straits this ship is in.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #14 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

Ji found that kisses had different temperatures.

There were cool, quick kisses.  The kinds you gave to someone quickly before you left for shift or if you were going to be back rather quickly.  Something that came with being comfortable with one another.  Then there was the fact that there were warm kisses.  The kinds that could build up to things.  When things were still new and when things were still building.  They hadn't yet found the heat that would rocket her into the hot category that would take their kissing to a whole another.  Hot would ignite the passion that would end up with a nacho plate and soju glasses on the floor while they messed up the bed even further than it had already been messed just by the fact that they were using it as their personal table.

This kiss, that she was currently sharing with Liam was something right around warm.  It was the kind that melted the heart, it had such promise within it.  Proving that the attraction that they had for one another was still there and heavy.  She had hoped that it wouldn't be something fleeting but then it was hard to know really.  Sometimes passion was something that flashed bright and hot but then when it came down to any kind of longevity it would wane and fizzle out completely.  That wasn't what she wanted here.  She hoped that she would actually be able to really grow something with Liam, though it was up to the both of them to put that kind of work in it.

Even still, warm as it was, her heart thumped heavily against her rib cage and her pulse raced.  It was not just that it was new.  His hand cupped the back of her neck keeping her close.  Her own hand rose and lay against the bare shoulder since he had never gotten around to actually putting on a shirt.  Softly they continued to kiss.  Letting it deepen but it stayed the soft and warm kiss that it had started out with.  More of a kiss that was between people that were developing parts of their relationship that extended past the physical and went straight for the heart.

As the kiss ended and she asked him not to send her away he was given a smile at his answer.  There was nothing quite like the resolution in his voice.  The fact that he would never send her away no matter what happened.  She knew that she could be an adult and work beside him even if this didn't work out.  Just like they were able to work together while it was just beginning.  They were both adults and they could separate their personal and business lives just fine.  That was part of being on a ship like this.  You didn't have to be from different departments and you didn't have to find a flat surface to fuck on just because you were in the same room.  Ji appreciated the way that their relationship was getting started. 

He then told her it was nonesense that he was better at the position than she would have been.  She chuckled.  “Matter of opinion, Li.” she whispered in her own heady voice.  Swallowing heavily as she looked up into those blue eyes that had captivated her since they had first come across each other.  Before she could say anything else he was kissing her again.  She slid her arm over his neck now and twisted so that she was facing him a bit more so that she didn't have to crane her neck around.  She slid so that one of her legs was between both of his and she was higher on the bed now this way that they were more even in height.  Their lips hardly broke from one another, and when they did, it was only to come up for air and go right back to the soft and loving kisses that had somehow taken over this situation.  Honestly, she didn't know if she was ready for relationship, or she didn't think she was until Liam.

She had tried with Chris but he had pushed her so hard and so fast that she knew she couldn't keep up with that kind of thing.  It was something that would have burned out quickly and Sten was someone that had ruined her for dating her coworkers for a while.  She had thought maybe Liam was not a good idea but then she realized that Liam was nothing like Sten, not at all.  He was a good man, a solid man, and if they didn't work she knew there would be valid reasoning but more than that there would also be the fact that they could move on.  Maybe even as friends. 

Finally, softly, and with hardly any regret... well maybe a little, the kisses ended.  Her eyes looked into his.  She pressed her forehead against his own and closed her eyes.  She surely loved being around him.  He made her feel wanted, desired, beautiful, but also respected her when they were on duty.  He never sought to make her feel lesser.  He always supported her and they could talk shop as much as they could talk about themselves.  It was so nice.  It felt natural.

He spoke again.  Informing her that he in no way held Sten against her.  That if she felt that she needed time to sort out what was going on with Sten he wouldn't blame her in the slightest.  She smiled warmly against him, he was the sweetest man she had ever met.  Her hand rose up and brushed through the hair on the back of his head.  It was short there and she liked the way that it kind of tickled her fingers while she brushed her digits through it.  The comment there made her want to kiss him again but she knew that if she continued to kiss him she was not going to be saying anything else for a while.  She shook her head against his and her brown eyes latched onto his blue pulling back so they could look each other in the eye.

“The only person I'm worried about right now is in this room.  Sten is .. Sten and one day he will regret what he did, but I am my own person and I'm back on the ship I love.  Sten, lost his chance, twice over.  I don't give two shits about what he does or who he fucks.  I don't want another chance with him, that ship has sailed.  What I want.. is to get to know this really hot blonde guy that just up and came onto my deck barking orders, and helping me dissect new ships.  Fairly handy in glitchy holoprograms.  That's the guy I want to spend my time with.  If .. he'll have me that is.” she whispered softly as she looked at him with a soft smile on her face.

Her thumb brushed over the back of his neck as she waited for his answer.  Hoping he might have understood her meaning.  She wasn't asking for marriage, she wasn't asking for a ring.  Just a chance to find out, exclusively, if they could work well together as they already had.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #15 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Hearing that Ji had not the slightest kind of interest in re-addressing the issues between her and Sten, Liam might have expected it a bit, but it meant a great deal to hear her say it.

And the way she said it?

Oh, but how she could rid any doubt from his mind with so few words. Her touch, her eyes, and her tone, all permeated with her feelings towards him, and the way she phrased herself made him want to kiss her in answer, even if he knew he ought to speak. As heavy as her words lay between them, he did not want to make light of her wish, but nonetheless, he wanted to jest, and keep matters easy and honest.

So he chuckled deep down in his throat their noses almost touching. "Oh, I don't know," he said in mock-indecisiveness, "that depends on how he'll get to have her, doesn't it?" Saying this, he leaned in to kiss her anew, teasing her top lip with the tip of his tongue before speaking again.

"Can he have you right here?" he asked ruefully, his voice resonating deep in his bare chest. The arm around her waist pulled her closer still, making her come to straddle his thighs on top of the bed. His lips drifted close to hers, but not quite touching... leaning away from her if she tried - teasing her. "Right now? Or whenever he wants? Whenever she wants? Or just when he is fixing those glitchy holoprograms?"

With his hands around her waist, his fingers happened to skirt the edge of her top, and the corners of his eyes were creased in his mischievous smile. "Or perhaps you merely want to have him if you get to bark orders at him for a change?" he asked leaning in as if to kiss her finally, only to speak instead - their breaths mingling between their faces. "Perhaps you are just lonely in your shower, and need someone to wash your back? Either way you may want him..."

He kissed her then, thoroughly, before answering at last. "....he is yours. So come claim him."

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #16 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

There was something to a deeper chuckle.  The kind of throaty chesty chuckle that Liam gave her a moments later was something that truly pulled at her gut.  It made her want to kiss him soundly and find ways to sway him to her side of things.  Though, in one way, she had a feeling that it wouldn't take that much convincing.  Her eyes shifted up to his blue ones.  They were so beautiful, all the facets of blue against his pale skin and his paler, still, hair.  He was a beautiful man.  She knew that he would be the envy of all the women on board but that wasn't why she liked having him close to her.  It was his heart, and his mind, they were like minded on many things.  It was nice to have someone that you could actually talk shop with.  So rare too, when you were a woman, to find someone that you could really talk to.  It was something she desired more than many other things in a man. 

Looks, were one of the last things she cared about, honestly.  Of course, there were attractive men that had the market on the physical kind.  Honestly, while those could turn a head it was the ones that had the beautiful hearts and the sharp minds that really called to her.  That, and those that allowed her to really be herself without the pressure to conform to the normal womanly standards set forth by centuries of shit.

She couldn't answer his first reply because he was kissing her.  Teasing her lips with his tongue, which only made her want more but then he broke the kiss and looked at her.  Asking if he could have her right here.  Her brow rose curiously as he pulled her closer still.  She shifted so that she was straddling his lap and looking into his eyes.  Glad that they were alone, they weren't due on shift any time soon, so they could just enjoy one another.  Now, she was straddling his lap and looking directly at him, her forehead pressed slightly against hers.  Feeling the fingers of his hands brushing around the hem of her shirt.  Almost, as if asking permission, but it wasn't as though he really needed it.

He was toying with her.

He proved her theory right, moments later, as he pulled her close, their lips close enough that occasionally just through breathing the sensitive skin would brush one another.  Just enough she could feel a little bit of the chapped areas that were lubricated slightly from the last kiss they had just shared.  She tried to close the gap, but he held her back.  Strong hands on her body, his muscles reacting to pull his lips just out of reach every time she tried to remedy the situation. 

Again, words. 

She wanted words but she wanted his lips all the same.  He was making her crave in, she didn't normally crave in such a way.  To be fair she had only kissed Chris a couple times, but nothing with him had excited her quite like this and she enjoyed the way that Liam let her be herself despite everything.  He didn't push her, or pull her, or ask her to change.  He didn't do the things that drove her away from even the possibility with Chris.  This was different, a slow incline into something that could be very meaningful, for certain.  That, at least, was what she hoped for.  Swallowing heavily as his words fell upon her ears.  His deep voice resonating against her own chest which was pressed tightly against his.  Every breath, felt, shared and mingled with their faces so close.

“All the above.” she whispered.

Unlike his voice, that got deeper with his attraction and affections hers turned into just a soft whisper.  One would almost have to try to hear it were she any distance away yet Liam made sure there was only a breaths distance between their two bodies at this given time.  His fingers teasing at the skin just underneath the hem of her shirt caused her to swallow more heavily. 

“Maybe he would like to take orders from me.” she whispered as he moved in like he was going to kiss her.  Her eyes slid half closed, waiting for his lips to press, finally, against hers but then he spoke again.  She let out a groan of pain.  It wasn't physical pain except for the pain of just wanting to shut his damn mouth with her own so they could get somewhere in this conversation.

He had to have a point, right?

Then he kissed her.  She moaned loudly, even to her ears, as his lips finally met hers.  They kissed for a long and soft moment, the building passion flavoring her lips until he pulled back to answer.  “Consider yourself claimed.” she whispered softly as she pushed into him.  Knocking him back down onto the bed on his back.  Her body hovered above his, their lips mingling in the moment.  Making up for all the horrendous talking that they had done moments ago.  Her lips and his were making up for all the wasted time.  Yet his words resonated against her very being.  That he was hers to claim.  She had done so.  When she was lonely, when she needed her back washed, when she wanted to share a bed instead of sleeping alone, or someone to order around.  He was there for her.

She didn't speak for a while she only kissed him.  If she needed to breathe she would slide down a bit.  Kissing against his neck, his jaw, his collar bone.  Her tongue and lips teasing the skin there.  “I'm so very glad you never put that shirt on.” she whispered on her way back up to his lips where she pulled him into yet another deep beautiful kiss. 

This time would be different.  Before, it was learning and knowing each other's bodies.  It was passion and lust.  This, was consummation.  This was the culmination of a decision to be together.  To really give it a try.  Whether it worked or not, time would tell, but at least the two of them were going to give it the best Starfleet try.  This was not exactly making love, as feeling that deep had definitely not developed yet but it had the union and the slow burning passion that was the beginning of something great.  Her fingers traced down his torso just reveling in kissing him and making him hers.  She sat up, on his hips before pulling her shirt up and off.  Tossing it to the oblivion of his room, her bra clothed form bent back down at the waist.  Kissing him anew.

“I am yours to claim too.” she whispered against his ear before she latched onto the lobe there to suckle and nibble.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #17 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
The passionate tangle had begun, this sweet dance of hunger. It was equal with both men and women, he'd found. Well, depending on who your partner was, of course.

With Ji, there was an emphasis of tenderness and need that he shared in, for as different they might be in personality, they shared in profession, knowledge and mutual desire. They had already learned how well they fit together, both mentally and physically, and this time, Liam also wanted to savour the development. Already, she had roused him, for how could she not excite him when she came so close, and kissed him so thoroughly? When she caressed his bare skin, running her small hands over his tattoos, and she ground down unto him where she sat? His breath even hitched when she tossed that top aside.

As lengthy as their discussion had been, Liam had learned a great deal about her. That she'd been hurt, transferred, rejected and then abandoned again. He'd learned how she came to serve in Fighter Bay Ops, and that she liked to drink more than he did. All fleeting thoughts, of little immediate consequence, but he knew for a certainty that he had no plans to treat this woman like Chief Covington had done. She was a feast for famished eyes, diminutive in stature but taking a lot of space with her boldness and attitude. Better yet, she was everything he looked for in a woman.

With men, he liked them to be equally tall or taller than him, leaner or larger, yet careful and attentive when having sex. Yet with women, he liked them to be a lot shorter than him. Still strong, taking care of themselves, but still feminine. All the things lacking with men, he wanted in women, and Ji... Oh, she met all those desires he had. As they kissed, his hands hands sought those covered breasts of hers, his rough fingers brushing the skin above the bra, and feeling the roundness of her mounds in his palms.

Better yet, her lips and her kisses were otherworldly in how consummate they were - overpowering his senses. He had never experienced anything like it. Then, she told him to claim her as well, and he grinned against her lips, certainly not minding taking what she offered.

No further words needed, he rolled on top of her, making their nachos plates clatter against the deck plates below the bed. Once there, having pinned her down, he began to trail kisses down her body. He let the bra be for the time being, just continuing to lay fiery kisses down her smooth thin. When he was at the height of her lower abdomen, he looked up into her eyes and began to ease down her remaining clothes down her legs, even the panties. He tugged at them until they were completely off, at which point he was kissing her inner thighs.

"Then I suppose you don't mind if I have my dessert before you do?" he said quietly, smiling with his eyes as he looked at her across the short length of her body. Since she had wanted him to take her, he did, but to begin with, he wanted to make her wild - teasing her into a frenzy. For while he liked men considerate and mindful, he liked to rile up a girlfriend until she was beside herself - wild and out of her wits.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #18 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

He moved, as her words left her lips.

She felt her back pressed into the bed and knew that snack time was over.  The clatter of dishes and soju bottles to the deck plating below them was nearly lost on the Korean woman that was pressed into his messy covers.  She could feel the crumbs of their dinner against her skin, rough and poking but she didn't really care about it.  It was unimportant when there was a man like Liam Herrold and his hardened body on top of her.  His lips on hers were amazing and revved her up and did things to her insides.  He melted her heart, and gained her trust.

He began to kiss down her stomach, and her eyes watched his every move.  Hands moving across the muscular shoulders until she couldn't reach him easily any longer.  Shifting her weight as he pulled on her jeans and panties so that they were removed from her body.  He asked her if she minded if he enjoyed his desert first.  Her brow rose.

She didn't say anything she just gave a nod.

The next while, hours really, they spent together locked in carnal embraces.  Over and over again they tested the mettle of one another.  Pushing them beyond their limits as they familiarized with each other.  It was nice, to have this time, where they could just be a couple, be together, without the pressures of the ship and all the horrors they were going through compounding them at this moment.  They could kiss and enjoy the fun bliss of the moments together.  He drove her wild, to the brink and over it, several times before they were even able to consummate for the first time today.  She didn't let him be though, she did the same to him afterwards, toying with him, pulling his climaxes out of him one at a time over and over again the two of them melded together as one.

Now, she lay beside him, covered in a thick sheen of sweat.  His bed, hardly looked like a bed at this point.  Pillows were on the floor, his covers were twisted and somehow kicked to the end of the bed most of them puddled on the deck plating mingling with spent nacho plates.  Her heart pounded within her rib cage, this was the kind of activity she could get behind on a daily basis.  She lay in the crook of his arm, held close to him, both of them breathing far too heavily to actually speak at the moment and she couldn't seem to get her eyes to open at the moment.  She couldn't even imagine exactly what she would say at the moment.  She just knew that it had been amazing, and perfect. 

She was hot, but as she lay there against him.  A smile on her face, that she couldn't get rid of.  Finally, her heart rate began to decline and she sighed softly as her dark eyes opened and she found the striking blue eyes of Liam.  She smiled softly up at him.  This was one of those moments that professions of love came naturally.  When emotions and the chemicals in the body were at their height, but there was no way in hell she was going to ruin this by making such proclamations at the moment.  No, she wanted to wait for the right time, a better time.  She wasn't in a hurry to make such pronouncements and honestly she just wanted to take it easy and slow.  He was worth the time.

“I hope you don't mind.” she said softly as she shifted her body upwards so that she could put her head on his shoulder and curl up beside him more so.  “But I think you wore me out.  I don't think I'm going to make it home tonight.”  She was half-joking anyway.  Honestly, she didn't mind the thought of going home but she would much prefer to stay here where it was warm and Liam was.

What they had decided on, trying this thing out, being together exclusively excited her.  She didn't want to put a whole lot of hope into it just yet.  She seemed have a horrible track record for such things but honestly she had to admit she just hoped that it would be good.  Through the bumps that life would bring the both of them considering the kind of jobs they did, she hoped they could stick together.  She had a feeling that they could.  That they would be the sort that could triumph over a lot of other things.  They were good people, kind, strong, smart, and above all else they understood putting others in front of themselves.  Give and take were good things; but honestly Ji just wanted a partner.  Someone she could share her life with, and her nights when the time came about.

She pulled herself up on her elbow.

“We should probably shower.” she said softly knowing she was coated in sweat and he was no different than her.  She smiled softly.  “I'll get the water started.” she leaned up and swooped in for one soft quick kiss before she rolled off the bed and headed to his bathroom raising her muscular arms over her head to stretch out her arms as she went before she stepped in and began to prep everything for them.

“Come on when you're ready.” she called behind her.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #19 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
Whilst his sweat-beaded chest rose and fell in the aftermath, Liam Herrold's mind had been laid to waste.

Slowly, the trickle of banal, half-baked thoughts began to resurface. Like... What time is it? And... How could she even bend that way? Had to be her martial arts training. I hope I didn't hurt her. Come on, she wasn't made of glass, and she had been quite vocal in her appreciation. My mouth is so dry, my throat sore, but it's so warm here I can't get up. Idle excuse, for something far more profound, which he had yet to admit. I don't... want to get up. She's lying here, and I don't care to end this moment. Ending this means life moves on.

She admitted that she couldn't - or wouldn't - make it back to her quarters, which made him smile and chuckle where he laid, running his fingertips through her sweat-matted hair. "I'm positive, because I'll need help restoring this bed to something you could actually sleep in," he said in jest, before she eventually got up and mentioned a shower.

When she suggested it, Liam gradually saw how there were actually benefits to letting the moment pass, and he smiled in answer where she laid with her head propped up on her arm... and looked at him in that way which made him feel so seen. "Music to my ears," he murmured, feeling how cool his skin had gotten when just lying still and being covered in the perspiration of their coition. His light blue eyes followed her, of course, when she got up from the bed and stretched just so, teasing him still with her bare form. Better yet, she made it clear that she fully expected that he'd join her there in his shower, and that he was being quite lazy - yet to move an inch from where he'd ended up on his back.

"Bear with me," he said with a smile, closing his eyes, "you might be worn out, but my mind is still riding the solar winds."

Yet soon enough, he heard the noise of water, and his thoughts coalesced on the image of her there, which he simply couldn't refuse. So, he picked himself up, stretching and feeling the cool air against his skin, and went towards the sound of Ji showering - like a siren's song beckoning him, or something. And soon enough, he opened the glass door of the stall and entered the cascading water inside.

He embraced her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. "I suddenly had the most dreadful of thoughts," he said, mock-serious as he reached for the soap and filled one hand with it. "And now I can't shake off the notion, and what it could mean for us. You are just too perfect, and there has to be some kind of flaw..."

He began to lather her whole body up with his calloused hands, rubbing her skin all over her with a small rueful grin - pausing for effect. Then he leaned down to her ear, and said. "What if you snore?"

Then he shuddered in jest, grinning at her.

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 hrs. ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #20 –
[CPO Eun Sae Ji | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
@Auctor Lucan

If there was one good thing about living on a ship, it was that hot water seemed to come on so quick.  Ji was the sort that her showers tended to be so hot that she was nearly red when she exited.  It had started back in Korea when she would trudge home covered in grease and other fluids that were known to the various fighter planes and vehicles that she was training with.  Hot water just made it easier to come clean, as well as special gritty soaps.  It had become a thing then, she never really felt clean unless the water was hot.  She had not shared a shower with anyone in her life before but she assumed that Liam would not be as inclined to searing himself as she was so she made sure to turn it down to a more neutral temperature.

Brushing her hand through the water she tried to make it seem good enough for the tall blue-eyed mechanic.  When it was nearly cold – by her own standards and not even remotely cold by most, she pulled her hand out satisfied where the water temperature stood.  Stepping into the small stall that was very similar to her own she let the water begin to wash the filth and grime away from their heavy session just moments ago.  A happy and wide smile crossed her face as she remembered all the amazing moments that had only just ended.  She looked forward, and was rather eager, to actually sleep beside him tonight.  She had not shared a night with anyone in a long while and she really didn't count Sten.  That was less desired and more a necessity and considering what happened after she had only been left feeling used.

Tonight would be different.

Strong, calloused, and now highly familiar hands circled her slender body and came to rest on her front for a moment.  She could feel the all too familiar body against her back side as he slid into the shower right behind her.  It was heaven, really, to have someone that she could call her own.  Someone that she could lean on when the times were right and count on when times were tough.  It was not always easy, for a woman like Ji to balance the harder and softer sides of herself.  She had to command a deck of heavily muscled men and women to get things done and yet sometimes she wanted to just be the woman that needed an arm around her and a steady heart beat in her ear to sleep.

He spoke, his deep voice resounding a bit in the shower.  She smirked slightly, wondering just what it was he was thinking of.  Though the fact that it was dreadful brought back the full reality of the situation they were literally in.  The fact that not all that long ago there were intruders on their deck that they fought of.  She had nearly been crushed when the tractor beam system fell down from the ceiling because of one such intruder.  There were two other pieces of their ship that were gone, they hadn't gone to meet up with yet and she was not exactly excited at the prospect of what was to come.  She didn't want to think about reality for the moment but she wanted to continue to remember the beauty of being with Liam and how they had their own little paradise right here in his Quarters were they were both, miraculously off duty, and able to spend said time together. 

He then began to clean her and she leaned into him more heavily letting his hands do the work that she didn't have to.  Between his hands, and the cool-to-her water she was rather comfortable.  His words about how she was perfect resounded in her ears and caused a naughty smirk to play on her lips.  “Flatterer.” she teased briefly until he mentioned there must be a flaw somewhere.  He set her up, waiting for him to tell her what her supposed flaw was.  Too rough?  Too calloused?  Too hungry?  Too skinny?  Too hard working....

Then he went after it. 

What if she snored.

Ji laughed out loud and turned to face him the water brushing the suds from her body to pool down at their feet and be carried away through the drain in the floor where it would likely be cleaned up, recycled, and used again at a later date.  Her dark eyes flickered up to his.  “They make ear plugs for that, darling.” she teased with a grin.  “But, what if you snore?” she rose her brow with a teasing and mischievous look on her face.  She began to wash Liam the same way that he had washed her. 

“Or worse, what if you kick me while I'm asleep and I mistake you for one of those ram headed bastards that were on our flight deck... you don't.. have any tools within reach that I could use as a weapon do you?” she grinned and then stood on her tip toes to kiss his lips softly.

Stepping back from the kiss she soaped up her hair and let the water, too, wash that away and down the drain before moving so that Liam could to the same.  Finding herself leaning casually against the cool tile on the back wall while he worked himself over.  She didn't mind, one bit, gazing on the perfection of his body.  She had to admit she merely just enjoyed his presence.  But, since that first meeting over the new fighters, there had been a heavy chemistry between them, only compounded on the holodeck and now.. well now she was fully glad that everything had gone the way it had.  They had both been in danger, both been in a place where their lungs would cease their work... and now they knew that holding one another dear for as long as was possible was all that mattered in the world to them.

At least it was, to her.

It seemed that finally, finally she had found someone that she could place her heart with.  Not that she would admit it, not yet, soon, maybe; one day definitely.  In the world they lived in it was hard to wait and see.  It was more burn bright and passionate from the start so that you lived the most you could live while you were unsure of tomorrow.

“Do you think I could borrow one of your shirts to sleep in?  'Fraid I forgot my Pjs and it's such a long walk back to my own Quarters.” she grinned as once he was done the water was turned off and they stood there dripping, wet, and staring at each other with stupid satisfied and playful smiles on their faces.  Her Quarters wasn't far, but she had decided she wasn't leaving, and she wasn't.  She was planning to stay right where she was all night curled in Liam's arms.  Hell hath no fury like a woman woken up from a dead sleep in her lover's arms.

Outside the shower she grabbed a towel and tossed it to him before taking the other for herself.  Grabbing her hair first and shaking as much water out of it into the towel as she could massaging the short locks before getting the rest of her body.  Once done, she stepped out onto the mat and brushed her fingers to rid her hair of any sort of tangles that had accumulated from the towel dry.  She would then follow Liam back into the main room where the destruction of Hurricane Jiam was a real thing.

“Might be the day for fresh sheets.” she commented with a chuckle at the situation before them.
 

Re: Chapter 04: Supplemental [ Day 03 | 1845 ] Down Time & Dinner

Reply #21 –
[ CPO Liam Herrold | NCO Quarters | Deck 14 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]
When Ji began to lather up his body in the way he'd done for her, Liam returned her mischievous grin with one of his own. She countered his jest about her snoring with more fears about their continued relationship, none of any merit, and Liam chuckled, enjoying her hands running over his body. The moment shared turned even better when she punctuated her jocular concerns with a kiss, and he put his hands on her upper arms when she did.

"Either way, I think we can manage," he said, and was then rewarded with the sight of her tending to her hair, her fingers raking across her head. He followed her example, his own hair only a wee bit more manageable. After she'd rinsed herself off from the frothy soap that covered her, it was Liam's turn, and he caught her looking at him while he washed himself off. He was not too shy about his body, so he rather liked how she so openly appreciated him, and he smiled to her in turn. His thoughts were rather lethargic after the long session of repetitive sex they had enjoyed on top of his bed, mind blown and enjoying how he'd been able to forget about the mission and all the concerns, past and present. He really enjoyed Ji's company, but he'd only known her for so long, whereas he'd spent a lot longer - isolated - with the crew of the Resolve. He didn't know her as well as any of them, but so far, he liked her in all aspects.

Once he was finished, she asked if she could borrow a shirt from him, pausing merely to turn off the water setting in the shower. He saw through her lie about there being a long walk to her quarters, since they'd already visited her shower after the first time they had sex, back on that malfunctioning holodeck. "I think that can be arranged. I sleep without anything on, but who am I to begrudge you a shirt?" He smiled at her, appreciating the sight of her wet face and body before they began to towel themselves down. Eventually, they returned to the aftermath of the evening, and at her comment about changing the sheets, he could but laugh.

"Yeah, that might be for the better," he said, beginning to pick up bottles from the deck and the sheets with his towel wrapped around his hips. Eventually, they were able to slip under the fresh sheets, and it was almost as if they enjoyed a pocket of peace and normalcy, right there in his quarters, for the entire duration of the night.

- FIN
 
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