Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Topic: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea (Read 6819 times) previous topic - next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

October 05, 2021, 06:35:46 AM

[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Holodeck 01 | Deck 08 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]

Cam had dressed in a nicely fitting bikini, only wearing a sundress over it as she wandered down to the holodeck. It had been some of the first ‘real’ R&R she’d had in days, and she really needed it. She’d repeatedly slammed her head into bulkheads on the bridge, and had hardly slept. Not that day though. That day, she’d gotten a full night's rest, read through some morning reports in the comfort of her own quarters with a cup of fresh coffee, and contacted a friend. She’d made a promise back on Aldea, and she intended to keep it. As she worked her way through the halls of Theurgy, various crew members gave her a quick glance. She knew full well she was...markedly out of place, wearing a bright dress that swept behind her like a cloak. She however, didn’t care a bit.

When she reached the holodeck, she tapped the screen on the outside, studying the various aquatic programs. There were a few olympic-sized pools, hell even a recreation of the one at the Academy. That wasn’t what she wanted though. “No, no...something...tropical.” She grinned, ear to ear as the list populated before her eyes.

‘RISA BEACH FESTIVAL’
‘IRISH COAST’
‘FLORIDA KEYS’
‘SANTORINI’

The list went on and on, but she’d already seen what she wanted. She tapped it and the console gave a chirp of confirmation. The arch opened up with a welcoming hiss and she stepped inside. The temperature difference was evident immediately. It was warm, and humid. The sun was shining bright down on the sand of the beach and she just absorbed it for a moment, letting the Mediterranean wind lash across her cheeks. “Set time to 2100, season is still summer. Clear weather.” The holodeck obliged at once, the sun vanishing from the sky as a full moon cast radiant light across the clear, teal waters of the Greek Island. “Keep beach semi-private, but populate with ancient greek historical records, ignore any cosmetic differences between us and the population.” Again, the computer obliged. In the distant water, there were Triremes sailing, flying the colors of various Greek City-States. The beach itself grew more plentiful with what looked like wealthy merchants, and some nobles enjoying the water. Given the time though, there weren’t too many. The beach itself remained mostly vacant too. There were also a few shops that had been set up not far from the waterline. “Perfect.”

Cam stepped forward, finding a spot that she deemed comfortable and set down her bag. Of course, Cam being Cam, she’d brought a bottle of something to drink, a PADD, and a small container filled with replicated fruits and vegetables to snack on. She made herself comfortable, laying across the multicolored towel she’d brought along as she swept through a few more reports on her PADD. Her toes curled themselves into the sand and let out a deep sigh of elation. “Oh...music please. Something relaxing but not quite enough to put me to sleep." She thought for a moment before (quite loudly) exclaiming, "Piano jazz!” And like magic, a beautiful grand piano appeared on the ancient Greek beach, and began to play itself, crooked in the sand. The water looked inviting, but she held off for her companion.

She couldn't imagine choosing Risa over this. Less...in your face marketing on the part of the Risians and the various Humanoids that had set up shop there. Less...of everything. It was peaceful, it was warm. It was quiet. Most important, in that moment there was no galactic struggle against a race of space-slugs hellbent on taking over the galaxy. She had peace...at least for a little while.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #1 – October 25, 2021, 03:38:13 AM

 
He had discovered the message upon his return to the quarters that he now shared with the Romulan pilot. He had moved past his initial response to one of indifference at present. Lillee had been an accepted member of the crew prior to his arrival and had proved herself an ally to the Theurgy on multiple occasions. Who was he to gainsay their trust in her? It would only make them question why they should trust him and his siter at all, which would not help their cause.

Now, as he stepped out of the turbolift, Lorad considered just how different his life had been over the previous three months. He had gone from being a rebel in the Romulan Empire, to on the run after their home was destroyed. Now, he was an accepted member of a Federation starship, rogue though it was.

“What will the next month bring?” he wondered idly as he approached the entrance to the first holodeck. The doors opened to grant him admittance and he got his first look at what was beyond. The sky was dark, but a full moon cast enough light for him to see easily. Music reached his ears as he stepped in and allowed the doors to shut behind him. The air was warm and moist, but not uncomfortably so and he could easily hear water. Heading towards it, Lorad came upon the beach and Cameron, who was laying on her towel before him.

“Sorry, I late,” Lorad said in standard, his skills improving as he learnt and practised more with the language. He tried not to stare even as he took in an appreciative view of the woman’s form. “This is nice,” Lorad complimented as he looked out across the water.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #2 – October 29, 2021, 03:03:50 AM

[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Holodeck 01 | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]

She heard the holodeck arch open before she heard the Reman. She looked back over her shoulder and gave him a smile as he approached. Even laying on the ground far beneath him, she could tell that he was far taller than she was. She reached into her bag and threw him another towel, taking a quick glance at what he’d chosen to wear for the occasion.

“No such thing as late, it’s time off...isn’t a schedule to follow.” She grinned and set up from her position of laying, crossing her legs. “It’s quite bright here in the daytime, I thought night would be better.” She too looked over the water and took a deep breath of the humid, Mediterranean air. Unlike some, Cam had never had an issue enjoying a holodeck. Fake or not, it felt plenty real to her. “It’s Greece, on Earth. I dialed back the time though, back to before any sort of modern tech. Far before that even, no electricity, nothing. Greece can get a bit loud nowadays.” After all, she was here to relax. It wouldn’t exactly be relaxing to see party ships hovering out over the water, blaring music and shining various colors of light across the beach. This was far better.

“With my own adjustments of course.” She motioned over to the piano. She patted the sand next to her towel, inviting him to set down on his own. Again, she reached into her bag, this time producing a bottle of red wine. “Are you hungry?” She offered with a quick glance his direction. The last time they’d been on a beach together, things had been far different. It had also been during a lull in the action, but Cam had intended to take her own life. Once again, to try and let the water take her. Not this time.

Things had changed for Cam. She saw purpose. She knew that her own brain would inevitably flip back to the darkness, as it always did, but for the time being, she’d been happy. The irony wasn’t lost on her though with her choice of scenery. Something she hadn’t realized until she’d seen him walking her way. The realization brought a moment of silence from her, and she awkwardly looked away, glancing at the label on the bottle of wine. “I wasn’t sure if you drank wine or...drank at all, but-” She stopped and started to peel the top of the bottle down to the cork so she could open it.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #3 – November 22, 2021, 03:24:57 PM

 
Cameron’s fluid movements drew Lorad’s eyes down to her and he admired her form as she shifted position. He knew his father had looked outside their species, obvious given his half-sister, but it hadn’t been until he had come aboard the Theurgy that he himself had also considered what beauty might be found in those that were not Reman like himself. Cameron was one such person who had drawn his eye more than once though he had not let himself consider anything beyond the most basic of admirations. He knew he could have, had even wanted to, but he had seen the looks that others of the crew had given him, though most were subtle about it, and they were not friendly ones. He would not let himself hope that Cameron might ever see him any different.

“It is quite...pleasing,” Lorad acknowledged in standard, having to search for the right word to describe it. “The dark is...home to much that those not...born to it cannot see. Thank you,” he said, sitting down upon the sand as directed. “I eat if you do,” he responded to her question, not sure if he had gotten the phrasing correct. His eyes darted to the bottle, wondering what beverage it might contain. He said nothing however, as Cameron appeared lost in thought, instead admiring the ocean and how it reflected the moonlight. Remus didn’t have a place like this, and he had never really had the chance to enjoy any of the other places he had been to until Bacury III.

“Remans do drink,” Lorad confirmed calmly, smiling, and hopefully not scaring the Terran. “We make a whiskey that is capable of knocking down a Romulan.” HIs smile got even broader at the memory those words elicited before he settled down again. “But I have not tried this...wine, you call it,” Lorad revealed, looking across at Cam as she began to open the bottle. “But I would like too.”

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #4 – November 28, 2021, 12:34:01 AM

After her moment of awkward hesitation, she looked up to him and his absolutely hulking frame above her. She was practically a dwarf besides him. His size didn’t frighten her, nor did the Reman features that were typically seen in the human eye as aggressive and animalistic. To her, he was just a man. A very tall, rough-skinned man, but a man nonetheless. She poured her glass of wine and took a long swallow from it, refilling it almost immediately.

“I used to be terrified of the dark. My mother-” She paused, “My biological mother would read stories to me to help me sleep. She told me to listen to the hum of the warp core, so long as I could hear that I was safe.” She knew now of course, that wasn’t true. It had been her parents keeping her safe. “I find it comforting now." She poured the second cup of wine and handed it over to him. “Greece is a nice place. I’ve heard there are nicer beaches though. I just haven’t seen as many as I’d like to. I suppose I could dig around the holodeck for a few more.”

“Whiskey stronger than Romulan ale? You’ll have to share some time. I’m more of a tequila fan myself than wine, but tequila is more for when you want to feel the effects immediately. You take it in shots or sometimes these...frozen fruity things called margaritas. Wine is when you really want to enjoy it. It’s warming, calming. Perfect for a beach or a bath.” Once she’d offered the wine, she looked up to the sky, as if addressing Thea as one of the divine Greek goddesses herself. “Thea, can we have some food. Charcuterie board please, no actually...cucumber sandwiches, and...something Reman?” She raised a brow to her comrade, “I’m sorry, but I don’t actually know anything about Reman food.” She pulled the small, metallic containers of snacks from her bag as well and laid them out between them, tossing a strawberry into her mouth.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #5 – December 28, 2021, 02:41:01 PM

 
Accepting the glass with his natural hand, Lorad held it carefully for a moment before taking a sip of the fluid. It was different from what he was used to, but it was not altogether unpleasant. As he considered taking another drink, he listened to Cameron speak about things he did not understand, barely managing to gather that she was speaking about other things that they could drink. He could have asked her to stop but he found himself enjoying listening to her voice. He lost himself in it so much that he almost didn’t hear her question about Reman food.

“You need not apologise,” Lorad intoned softly. “I have found that...not much is known about my kind.” Pausing, Lorad gathered himself for a better explanation. “As slaves, Remans are kept underfed to keep us docile. With only half a planet, we farm in the, the,” Lorad said, searching for the correct phrase he had heard. “The twilight zone. But it is not enough. You learn to not ask about what is given to you, instead just eating it as fast as you can,” he said, trying to not sound as mournful as he suddenly felt. “It was better on Bacury III. Before the Romulans.”

“And here, I do not know what to pick. A lifetime without choice still holds me back in many ways,” Lorad explained as he looked back over at Cameron, forcing himself to not let his eyes wander.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #6 – January 07, 2022, 07:21:13 PM

Idly watching him, Cam glanced into the cup of red he’d been given. Moments later, the food appeared before her, though there was a distinct lack of Reman cuisine before her, which was quickly explained away by her companion. “Well that’s a damn shame. You’ll just have to come up with your own dishes then, hell even Vulcans have their own cuisine and likes. What are some foods that you’ve had that you do enjoy? Maybe…we can come up with something together. Don’t rely on me for the technical cooking ability though, you’re better off cutting out the middleman and just poisoning yourself instead of suffering through my cooking.” She smirked at him and brought her wine to her lips, taking a long swallow of the crimson elixir.

A long silence followed, the dark shadow of his Romulan enslavement thick in the atmosphere of the beach. “I can’t really imagine what they put you through.” She turned her head to lock eyes with him, offering him a compassionate glance before the moment broke.

“Better idea then.” She stood up and offered her hand to him. “Thea, sorry for the bother but could I have a table, fill it with an assortment of foods from the Federation and beyond please. Spicy, mild, sweet…the works.” She smiled at him, “You’ll have your pick of the lot. You have choices now, have to start making them.” In truth, there are times that Cam may have envied not having as many choices as she did. Choices which she regretted. Choices that brought her joy. All of them were hers to make. Despite the freedom that choice gave, it also brought consequence. Food however, seemed like a good spot to start. Besides…she was famished.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #7 – January 23, 2022, 02:28:52 PM

 
“You don’t want to, nor would I want you to,” Lorad thought to himself as his eyes locked with Cameron’s. It lasted mere moments, but it gave Lorad hope for a future that had at times seemed impossible to behold. A future beyond war and fighting to a time when he could sit and watch a place grow and people along with it. Remans were a long-lived species and he certainly had time as an ally to see his dreams come to fruition. “One day.”

As first the table and then the food arrived at Cameron’s behest, Lorad was lost for words at everything that was arrayed before him. There was so much variety, so many options that Lorad found himself unable to decide where to begin. It was just too much. The amount of food on the table could have fed a family on Remus for a week. As his thoughts drifted back to his time in the mines, Lorad stood and walked towards the shore until the water began to lap at his claws. He kept on going, lost in reflection until the water reached his knees.

Behind him, he could hear Cameron speaking but the words didn’t register. He just looked out over the water with the moon above it, spreading its reflected light.

“I’m sorry Cameron,” his deep voice spoke low. “I need moment.”

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #8 – February 24, 2022, 08:36:35 PM

Cam paused for a long moment, and watched her Reman companion closely. She studied his gait, his gaze, and his tone as the table appeared before them, loaded with exotic foods from across the Federation, and even beyond. His movement towards the water, led her to follow after, lithe footprints following behind her. She paused a short distance behind him and watched, granting him a moment of solitude before she spoke.

“Don’t be sorry.” She stepped closer, but given the height advantage he had on her, water to his knees was quite a bit further up on her. “Too much?” She offered, brows furrowing as they cascaded down towards her eyes. “Choice is hard for those of us who’ve always had the luxury of it, I don’t care to imagine the feeling you have when presented with so many choices.” She was no longer just referring to the food. She imagined the feeling as crushing, and overwhelming. As if stones were being thrown from all directions and one was only armed with a shield. Slowly, she did start to approach ever closer, the water up to her bellybutton and quickly approaching her ribs. "Can I help?" She glanced up at him, dark eyes shining with the bright moonlight above.

She didn't pressure him any further. Instead, she just stood silently, and listened to the cacophonous symphony of the ocean, waves crashing into the beach, and the distant yells of the holographic sailors in the distance.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #9 – April 26, 2022, 04:58:16 PM

 
It was an odd reversal of the first time the two of them had met. Now it was he that was at a loss, and she was offering the support. Truthfully, he didn’t know if she would be able to help him, despite his wish that she could. To help him, she would need to understand everything that he, and other Remans like him, had suffered at the hands of their Romulan masters. And that was a horror he would not wish on her. He didn’t know for sure, and with her telepathic abilities it would be hard to hide it all, but he wished to the stars that his own sister never found out it all. He would not burden Cameron now or in the future.

“You already are,” Lorad replied softly, not turning back around to look at the woman. He had heard her follow him across the sand and into the water, but he wasn’t sure how to react to that. There was still so much he didn’t know. “Just you being here is a comfort beyond what I can explain.” He looked up at the moon again, almost wishing that he would never have to leave the fallacy that was the holodeck but knowing that his own code would not allow him to. With a soft sigh, he turned around and looked down at Cameron.

“I apologise for making you wet your dress.”

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #10 – May 20, 2022, 12:37:38 AM

The reversal of roles wasn’t lost on Cam. When he’d found her, she’d been prepared to complete the very same act she’d attempted years prior. For different reasons no doubt, but at its core was the very same thing; her fractured mind. The gentle splish-splash of her dainty feet and legs dragging the water with her was likely the only sign of her approach. The water was warm and comfortable. She’d always found water to be comforting. Be it a bath, a beach, or a dip in a pool. Losing herself in the weightless embrace that it offered was something she’d always been able to turn to.

“Well…” She paused, and looked up his tall body once before she locked her eyes onto his. “I’m glad I could offer some comfort at least.” She was a trained counselor, she had no intention of prying where she didn’t feel he was comfortable with her doing so. “Don’t apologize. It’s a beach dress, they’re meant to get wet.” She smirked then looked up at the moon. Earth's moon. It was another familiar object. Another comfortable object. Something that could ground her. “It’s bizarre, I’ve swam in a pool up there…well, on the real moon, and was able to look out the skylights right back at Earth. The duality of each planet, staring at one another across the vast distance. It had always tickled her that while she looked up, perhaps there was another girl just like her, comforted by the waters, staring up at the stellar giant that loomed above.

Slowly, she allowed the dress to fall from her form, revealing a comfortable bikini. Almost in tandem with the fabric, she stepped forward, into deeper water, allowing it to come up to her waist before she started to lean back, and float atop the surface. “Have you ever learned about Earth's constellations?” She assumed not, it wasn’t exactly something important to know but…she’d always enjoyed painting her own vivid images in the night sky, whatever world she happened to be on.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #11 – May 22, 2022, 04:51:14 PM

 
He was taken aback when Cameron met his gaze. He had heard the whispers amongst the crew when they thought that he couldn’t, about how his Reman visage was scary enough and that the cybernetic eye that had replaced his natural one had only made it worse. It was a rare few that could meet his eyes for more than a moment, especially if he didn’t want them too. Right now, he wanted her too.

Her voice was melodic to him, and he found himself listening as if entrance d by it. She spoke of the moon and having swum on it and looked back at Earth while she did. Lorad himself couldn’t relate to that experience but he could hear how Cameron spoke about it and envied her that memory. He was hesitant to move though, when she removed her dress, revealing the swimsuit under it and Lorad found his breathing hitching slightly as he gazed at the expanse of wet skin before him. He was so distracted that he almost missed what she was saying about the stars.

“I remember the first time I saw the stars,” Lorad began slowly, his mind drifting back to a harder time as he looked up at sky again. “I didn’t know what they were at first. I had been told about them, but without ever seeing them before, I couldn’t connect what I had been told to what I was seeing. It was bewildering that there was so much beyond what I had only known up till then.” He considered trying to lay back and float like Cameron was but didn’t quite trust himself to not sink and embarrass himself.

“I worked out later on that I was 8 standard years old at that moment.”

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #12 – June 19, 2022, 12:39:34 AM

[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw |Holodeck 01| Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]

Cam maintained eye contact, the harsh contrast between their appearances not something that she missed. His face was certainly alien to her, but it wasn’t frightening. The look he gave her, it didn’t make her feel threatened. She’d felt threatened when an infested had looked at her through the eyes of her adoptive father. Loras however, despite his aggressive appearance from afar, had never struck fear into her soul.

His story struck her in a way she didn’t expect. It showed her another facet of the horrors he’d faced under the oppression of the Romulans. It had given her a shred of understanding as to what he’d been through, and she appreciated that he’d shared it. “Eight?” Her voice was hushed and in truth, shocked.

“I’m sorry.” Looking at stars was something so simple and she had figured, an experience shared by all across the galaxy but in a moment that was struck down. The most minuscule please of dreaming of the stars and what lay beyond wasn’t even granted to the man with her.

“I can’t even begin to imagine how…” she trailed off, and looked him full in the face again, rising momentarily as he’d spoken his story, before she started to float again. “You should try this. Your body should offer enough natural buoyancy, and look at the stars now.” She smiled at him, perhaps trying to offer him the most mild of comforts.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #13 – August 19, 2022, 05:33:39 PM

 
Lorad was afraid that he had upset Cameron. He hadn’t meant to, but he had not wanted to lie to her either. He felt that he needed to be honest with her, even if that honesty was painful. She had apologised, and begun to speak before stopping, and for that Lorad was grateful. He wasn’t sure how he would react to an apology that had no right being said by any but a Romulan. And even then, would it matter? Lorad didn’t know. Instead, Cameron had leant back into the water and begun to float again, gifting the Reman, perhaps unknowingly, a perfect view of her sleek body as it hovered in the water.

“I can try,” Lorad acquiesced as he stepped away to allow room for his arms. He had managed to successfully float before in the pool, but it still took him a lot of focus to maintain the correct posture of his body. And he had never tried where there were waves. Breathing to steady himself, Lorad leaned back into the water, pulling his legs up and tensing his abdomen to hold them up. That was the secret he had been told to not sinking, ‘keeping his bum up’ as his sister had summarised. And it worked mostly well until he tried to turn his head to look across at Cameron. Their forms had shifted in the swell and he was looking up her body from her feet to the swell of her chest, her face hidden completely from view.

With a hitched breath, Lorad lost focus and sank beneath the ocean. His feet pedalled in the water, struggling to right his body before finding purchase in the sand and propelling him upwards. His head broke the surface and he spluttered, shaking his head and sucking in a lungful of air, embarrassed that he had lost concentration so easily.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #14 – August 26, 2022, 02:39:30 AM

[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Holodeck 01| Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]

From her demeanor, Cam likely seemed…relaxed. It was likely one of if not the only time Lorad at least had seen her in such a state. Something about the warmth of the water, the subtle dancing of the heat across her skin from the projected sun, all of it grounded her in exactly that moment, and allowed her to feel free. While her own life had been one marred by the emptiness of grief, she knew that she would never have to experience the horrors that Lorad was put through, simply because he’d been born a Reman. Whatever view she happened to be giving him as she lay there, lost in thought and comfort, she didn’t seem to notice or mind. Even if she had noticed, she was no stranger to being watched by the eyes of men.

She allowed him the space to try and balance himself. Floating and balance were where she started to learn to swim, she figured it would be the best for him too. She watched his body as he attempted to still himself, watching the rippling of muscle move across his abdomen as he braced for balance. Quickly though, she relaxed and let herself float.

Until she heard the sputtering.

She shifted herself, letting the water absorb her body for a moment before she sort of crunched her legs up and paddled over towards Lorad. She hadn’t seen everything he did but she did at least have an idea what happened. “You were doing right, using your abdomen to hold yourself up. You have to try and trust the water too though.” She wasn’t actually sure if there was something about Reman physiology that may have complicated the lesson, but even if there were, she intended to defeat the complication. She stood as she approached him, and gestured for him to lean back. “Lean back, I’ll help you to start. You need to try and be less…tense. Let your muscles loose some.” She shrugged and stood there, intending to place a hand beneath him to keep him afloat while she helped him position his limbs, if he allowed.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #15 – September 26, 2022, 03:41:41 PM

 
Standing in the holodeck, surrounded by replicated or projected saltwater, Lorad knew not which, the Reman flushed with embarrassment at the cause of his distraction. His entire life had hammered into him the need to be focused. That a lapse in focus invited death, either from a Romulan overseer or the weapon of an enemy. And yet here he was, unthreatened and safe, relatively speaking, being distracted by a Terran female half his size. What was wrong with him?

Cameron’s words to him pulled him back into the present and he noticed that she had stopped floating and was now looking at him, telling him that what he had been doing was the right thing but that he had to ‘trust the water’. Lorad didn’t understand that but trusted Cameron enough to accept that she was telling the truth. He almost took a step back when she held out her hands, offering to help support him as he tried again. At the same time, he heard her tell him that he needed to be less tense.

“I... I will try,” Lorad conceded, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. Leaning back slowly, he surrendered himself to both the water and to Cameron’s hands as he felt them encounter the skin of his back.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #16 – October 02, 2022, 07:24:24 PM

[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Holodeck 01 | Deck 08 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

[Show/Hide]

Cam kept the look on her face as one of support and gentility. She wanted to emanate an aura of warmth for the man, who so far as she could tell, had experienced little else than the cold and unforgiving hand of Romulus. She knew that she couldn’t begin to understand what all had been taken from him, or that he simply didn’t know had been kept from him. So she wanted to offer him as much of what was lost that she could, starting there, with the feeling of comfort that came from the waters.

As he leaned back she braced her hands against his back, her soft hands feeling strange against the much more rigid flesh of Remans, but it didn’t bother her, and she didn’t shudder away from him in fear or disgust as some others may have. She kept her voice quiet and as supportive as possible. “Now extend your arms out a bit, and use your hands as rudders, like a boat, you can adjust your lean with your shoulders by bringing them up and down, and turn with the motions of your hand.” She pressed up slightly on his back, trying to get him to arch more.

“You can do it.” Slowly, she began to remove her hands, though she kept them hovering near his back so that he didn’t get taken by the water. “Don’t anticipate the incoming waves, let them carry you, then simply correct afterwards. If you fight the wave it’ll take you under, if you ride it, it’ll just push you around a little.” She smiled at him, a warm, bright smile showing an array of pearly whites.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #17 – November 04, 2022, 03:33:10 PM

 
It was as if she was telling him to do the exact opposite of everything that he had been trained to do. When you were in a fight, you had to anticipate your opponent, to try and see what they would do next so that you could be prepared to counter that move with one of your own. It seemed strange to him that he needed to surrender to the water to succeed with it. He just didn’t know if he could do it. But for Cameron, he would try.

“I will try,” Lorad said, looking up at the Terran where she stood over him, offering her support. “Hard though. All my life has been a fight. Hard to stop.,” he said, trying to explain as he closed his eyes. With them shut, he had to rely on his other senses, which meant relaxing and allowing himself to listen to what they were trying to tell him. His breathing slowed but he was still tense, his muscles coiled in readiness. When the next wave came, as much as he tried too, he wasn’t able to just ride it like she wanted him to. Instead, he tensed even further, trying to correct what he believed was bad posture and the wave pushed him under, submerging him until he got his feet back under him.

Frustrated, Lorad surged upward, breaking the surface and showering Cameron with water.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #18 – November 24, 2022, 05:16:57 PM

[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Holodeck 01 | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]

Cam tipped her head just slightly to the right, and gave Lorad a comforting smile, slowly nodding her head as she spoke. She could only imagine the struggle he had suffered through. Where she had suffered great loss, and pulled herself out of the deepest pits of despair, she hadn’t suffered as he had. And even when she had been in the deepest of those pits, ready to simply make it all stop, Lorad had been there for her, in a way that many others were not.

“I know it has, and I can’t even…imagine what you’ve gone through. The ocean, the water, it’s an enemy you cannot fight though. She will always win, instead you must learn her ways, learn what she likes and what she doesn’t, when she wants to kick and when she wants to hold you.” It sounded way cheesier than she’d meant it to be, causing her to flush a bright red and clear her throat. She did her best to help him, but she felt the muscle tense and that was that.

Immediately, she was showered in a torrent of water, soaking her and causing her to freeze for a moment, as if she was likely to explode from annoyance. Instead though, she burst into laughter, not at Lorad per se, but at how the events had played out perfectly enough to soak her. As if it awakened the child within her, she stepped back and slammed her palm into the water, firing off an arc of water in Lorad direction. Maybe lightening the mood with some fun, would make it easier for him to float.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #19 – December 12, 2022, 04:12:48 PM

 
Sucking in air, Lorad fought to settle his nerves after sinking himself. He heard laughter from next to him, Cameron’s laughter, and glanced her way, expecting to find that she was laughing at him. To his surprise, he saw that she was rather laughing at the situation, he judged, given that she was not soaked completely from the water he had displaced during his ascension. As if to confirm his assumptions, Cameron slammed a hand into the water, sending a splash of water back at Lorad. Thankfully this was something that Lorad had seen in some of the holo’s that Samala’s mother had translated and knew that it was made in fun. The appropriate response was to splash the other person back, where in a water fight would ensue. Lorad though, felt that he needed a bigger response.

Stepping forward, he lifted Cameron up completely out of the water, cradling her in his bare arms before pivoting and throwing her further out into the water. He was careful not to use his full strength, lest he risk hurting her. It was only after he saw her flailing about in the air that he realised that what he had done might be an unwelcome response to being splashed.

Suddenly quite worried, Lorad set off wading through the water towards where Cameron had landed with a not insignificant splash.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #20 – December 20, 2022, 03:57:49 AM

Cam had done her best to escape his grasp, but his stride was much greater than hers and he’d grasped her quickly enough. What had started as a water fight, had escalated to a full blown wrestling match. Against Lorad, Cam knew she stood no chance. The initial shock of what happened wore off in milliseconds as she realized something about the feeling of being flung into the water. It was…familiar. It was warm.

She rode that feeling of bliss for only a moment before it came crashing down on her, along with the tepid, Grecian seawater. She plunged a few feet before she kicked back against the current and shot up out of the water, taking a sharp inhale of breath through laughter as she realized that the Reman was wading towards her with a concerned look on his face.

She hoped that her continued laughter would ease his fears. “I haven’t done that in-“ She shook her head, flushing as the memory came over her, “Probably twenty years.” What had come to her in that moment in midair, was the memory of her father, tossing her into the water aboard a holodeck, not all too different than the one that she then found herself in. “I’m afraid I don’t think I have the ability to toss you though.” She waded over towards him, pushing wet strands of her hair out of her face.

Re: Day 02 [1930 hrs.] Never Lost at Sea

Reply #21 – February 06, 2023, 12:51:23 PM

 
Cameron’s laughter as she broke the surface of the water after her landing did much to reassure the hulking Reman that his actions had neither hurt the Terran female nor caused any kind of anger towards him for it. Quite the contrary, if her appearance and behaviour were to be believed, she had rather enjoyed it Lorad thought. He slowed his advance, making his progress through the water easier as it fought against him less.

He listened as she recounted moments from her youth, his own mind being drawn back to a similar time. Though in his case it was a much darker time, literally in most regards. He shook his head to clear the memories from it and looked back down at Cameron as she brushed wet strands of hair from her face. She looked incredible to him, yet he knew that he stood no chance at anything with her. His encounters so far aboard the Theurgy had been the result of alcohol, proving a point and curiousity, in that order. Cameron, he didn’t think, was that curious.

As she came up to him, he held out his hands carefully, aware of his claws, and smiled as gently as he knew how, keenly aware of their differing appearances. “Again?”