Star Trek: Theurgy

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #50 – October 21, 2018, 10:08:45 PM

[ PO1 Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Personal Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ] @Nolan

Kythalie gave him a hug as she spoke, then rested her head against his shoulder once more. She apologized for everything he’d gone through, speaking in a whisper. His stories had thoroughly dampened the energy of the evening, and he could tell she was feeling sorry for him. She looked back up at him then, staring at him with those dark eyes of hers as she leaned against him.

”Stop apologizing, Kythalie! If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I’ve gone and ruined an otherwise wonderful evening.” Ekon rumbled as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. ”Besides, I’m hardly the only one in the universe that had been through such things!” He gave her a slight squeeze as he looked into her eyes. ”Now come, young one. Tell the Oldie something to cheer him up and wash away the damper I have put on our mood!” He chuckled, giving her a cheeky wink. ”I’m sure a pretty young thing like yourself has plenty of good stories to entertain an old man!” He smiled, hoping to bring her out of the funk that his memories seemed to have put her in. ”The nice thing about dealing with us oldies is that, with our memories fading with age, you can tell us the same story multiple times and we’ll always think it’s new!”

Ekon removed his arm from Kythalie’s shoulders then and picked up the photographs, moving to replace them on the shelf. He turned and regarded the caramel skinned woman who still sat on his bed, wondering if she was counting the minutes until she could get out of here now that he’d gone and destroyed the evening’s previous frivolity. He strode back to the bed and sat back down next to the Betazoid, bumping her and giving her a friendly look. ”So let’s have it, Benmual,” Ekon teased her and gave her a grin, ”Tell us a story to cheer an old man up!” As he finished, he leaned forward and across Kythalie to reach for his mug, which he had placed on the bedside table. "Or you could try and one-up me, and we could turn this into a proper pity party!" Ekon chuckled, glancing sideways at her as he leaned over.

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #51 – October 26, 2018, 10:52:54 AM

[ PO2 Kythalie Benmual | Oldie Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ]
@Fife

He urged her to stop apologizing as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a slight squeeze as he looked in her eyes. Did she have any stories that could cheer him up? She had to think about it as she gazed back into his eyes and gave a slow nod. He seemed to be not in a depressed state as she'd imagine he'd be after sharing such intense, raw stories of his past. Perhaps time had washed away the pain and sadness, or perhaps time had given the loss a place in the man's emotions. She'd not dwell further on it as he stood up to place the pictures away.

As she was sunken in thoughts and running through her childhood memories, Ekon came back to the bed and bumped his shoulder into her, which startled her at first yet made her laugh eventually as she swatted against his shoulder. She had just the story set for him, about a teenage Kythalie who used to climb the trees and swam into the oceans of Betazed. The wildlife she had encountered there and the adventures she had. He spoke however to try and one up him on sad stories and her face changed from excited to somewhat serious and perhaps even a tinge of sadness in them.

Sob stories weren't Benmual's specialty, yet her tale about her return to Betazed was one that could perhaps trump his stories, though it'd be a close call... She cleared her throat and nodded slightly "Okay... I got a personal story for you. Just to ruin the evening entirely." she stated with a faint smile before she bumped her shoulder back into him. She took a deep breath before she started.

"In 2373 I had completed my training at bootcamp for security. After some encouragement and recommendations I had gone to the Academy to become an ensign. I joined the academy in that year as well... This was the time when Betazed had come under the attack of the Dominion. The few messages I got from my parents and brother encouraged me to stay on Earth. Yet it didn't take much long after to hear that my brother had gone missing. He was part of the Starfleet garrison that was tasked to defend Betazed. During the occupation all communications were cut with my family, I had no idea how they were doing. I did however get the holofeeds and the news. Reports of my homeworld set ablaze and how thousands if not millions of Betazoids were suffering. It was hard to endure my studies. So when I heard that the Federation decided to mobilize a fleet to end Betazed's occupation I jumped out of the Academy and joined the USS Elkins." she told him as her fiddled with her hands "So goodbye to my chance to become a line officer. I got my first real experience of engagement and war on board. The pain, rawness... All of it. Yet the worst was yet to come. I volunteered to be part of the ground teams that would fight on Betazed's soil. On the ground the Dominion's atrocities and actions were even more visceral. Parts of Betazed simply unrecognizable during their occupations as I saw death, mutilation, pain, anger, sorrow and loss."

She swallowed as she felt the emotions boil up inside of her once more, it seemed like she still struggled with the events "Our team fought and worked piece by piece to conquer my world back. It was almost near the end of the conflict that the team I was in got hit by an orbital strike. It wiped out a whole housing block and a lot of my friends and teammates perished in the attack. I was injured badly and brought to one of Betazed's clinics that still operated, for surgery and recovery. I was granted to remain on my home world by the USS Elkins' captain. To get my physiotherapy and counseling sessions and what else." a faint smile covering her features at the kindness and understanding of the captain "During that time I traveled to the island chain where I grew up. It had been hit pretty hard during the occupation though we had nothing of interest on our island. I tried to look for my family, yet there were no reports of them being counted as casualties. Amidst the chaos the documents might've gone missing, or they were taken by the Dominion to..." she didn't finish the sentence as she shook her head, hoping that her parents had found their end on Betazed. The alternative a thought she'd not want to dwell upon.

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #52 – October 30, 2018, 12:37:44 AM

[ PO1 Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Personal Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ] @Nolan

Ekon listened in silence as Kythalie told her story, not wanting to interrupt her as she recounted the tale of the young miss Benmual who had given up her chance to become an officer so that she could take part in the liberation of her homeworld. Eboh could understand the desire to protect one’s homeworld to a degree, his people having lost theirs to the Borg. Of course, those events had taken place just before Ekon’s birth, so their situations were somewhat different, but growing up knowing that his people had forever lost their home to a hostile action left him with an understand of what she must have been going through at the time. His heart went out to her as she spoke of the atrocities carried about by the Dominion on Betazed, having himself witnessed the horrible acts carried out by the Dominion during his own wartime service.

He watched as she swallowed hard, fighting against the emotions brought on by the painful memories. Ekon had no doubt that witnessing the brutal treatment that the Dominion had subjected those on her home planet to had left a permanent wound etched on the caramel skinned woman’s heart, as it had so many during the war.

She spoke of being wounded in an orbital strike, with many of her friends and comrades being killed or wounded in the strike as well. She told him of searching for her family, never knowing what had become of them. Again, he could understand how Kythalie felt, having experienced something similar. Yes, his father had died before he was born, Alexander had left due to his mother’s infidelity, and his mother and simple left one day and never returned for him, but he understood the sense of loss she must have felt, the sense of desperation as she searched for any sign of them. She broke off at the end of her story, seemingly unwilling to complete the thought she had left off on. Eboh couldn’t blame her. The idea of someone you loved being taken by the Dominion, lost forever and facing god knows what sort of horror for the rest of their lives, was something Eboh wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Once she had finished talking, Eboh took a deep breath, blowing the air out through pursed lips. He turned his head and looked down at Kythalie, his eyes locking on hers as he finally broke his silence. ”Well, that settles it.” He rumbled, fighting to suppress the impish smile  which threatened to spread across his features. ”I thought I had ruined the evening, but you have well and truly killed it.” He gave her a wink as he teased her, finally letting the grin appear on his face as he tried to lighten the mood, hoping to raise Kythalie’s dampened spirits at the same time. ”I’m sorry, it might seem like poor taste to tease you after you opened up about such a painful memory, but over my years I have learned that there is merit to the old saying. Laughter is the best medicine.” Eboh regained his composure for a moment, looking back down at the Betazoid. ”I am sorry for what you went though, and for the loss of your family. I know that it cannot have been easy, and that nothing I will say will make it better.” Ekon told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. His hand seemed massive as it rested on the slender yet muscular perch of Kythalie’s shoulder. ”Time does heal, though. Eventually the pain will subside, and you will remember the good times which you enjoyed with your family.” That impish glint was back in his eyes, and his facial muscles tightened as he fought back the grin. ”Though you may never get over the pain of that one horrible evening you spent with and Old man who, how did you phrase it? Who was “just after some young flesh.”" Eboh chuckled as he teased her, unable to help himself. That was another thing he had learned over the past eight decades of his life: You can't take yourself too seriously. That, and you could never have too much coffee. Both were, in Eboh's mind at least, extremely valuable lessons.

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #53 – October 31, 2018, 07:11:33 PM

[ PO2 Kythalie Benmual | Oldie Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ]
@Fife

The initial response of Eboh was quite different from what Kythalie had expected. She simply looked at him with her black pools before he explained himself. The corners of her lips tugging lightly as her smile came back faintly. "It'll be either that or your old age had really made you forget how to listen to others like El-Aurians should." she shot back at him before finding some solace in his words. She eventually gave a shrug "I've found peace with myself to leave the past for what it is. I think if I were to dig further or look more into it, I'll probably leave the Fleet and find nothing more but sorrow and pain." she said softly.

"I can only hope that as you say time will mend, but sometimes I still wake up at night with nightmares from my time on Betazed, my beautiful home where I could live so carefree and without a problem to my mind... Yet now, it has that bitter taste in the back of my mouth..." she sighed as it truly did ruin their light evening of fun and shenanigans. At least she won the sadness contest. If that was a prize to be proud of was yet to be seen. Ekon did try to lighten up the mood once more as he made an attempt to tease her.

"Mmh, what a perverted man that was..." she agreed "First giving the impression he'd just want a piece of young flesh between his sheets only to pry out some emotional memories..." she summarized it with a thoughtful look on her face "I think I might need to speak to his medical officer about increasing his meds or something... He's really off." Her eyes moved over him to gauge his reaction before she started laughing "I have to admit, you're hopeless in any way of seduction." she teased him before she shook the nasty memories out of her head, her wild hair following delayed by her head movements and causing for a ripple like effect.

"I think I might need something stronger to drink then just this warm drink. Something real strong..." she smiled as she looked at Ekon, hoping he''d venture back out into the cold of the shared quarters to get her something.

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #54 – November 01, 2018, 10:32:37 PM

[ PO1 Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Personal Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ] @Nolan

Ekon grinned as Kythalie joked about what a pervert he was, unable to hold himself back his retort. ”You can hardly blame the old man! It’s hard to resist when a piece of young flesh parks herself on your lap!” Ekon shrugged as he considered the last part of her comment, ”Us old men, we do love our stories.” He give her a wink as he added the last. As she began to laugh, telling him he was hopeless at seduction, he could do little but join in the laughter. ”You are not wrong. To be honest, things went a lot smoother when I let you do the seducing. Perhaps I’ll learn to keep my mouth shut in the future…”

When she mentioned needing a stronger drink, smiled and rose from the bed. He felt reuctant to leave her side, though he was under no impression that the evening was going to go in the direction that it’s earlier events had suggested. ”A strong drink? I know just the thing.” The dark skinned man gave her a grin before he turned away and headed for the door, feeling the cold air hit him as the doors slid open. He mentally grumbled at his roommate as he made his way to the replicator and ordered their drinks.

Eboh returned to the room holding two glasses and carrying a bottle turned under one arm. The bottle was shaped much like an old Earth powder horn. Eboh held one of the glasses out for Kythalie to take, grinning at the Betazoid as he did. ”One strong drink, as ordered,” he informed her, waiting until she took the glass before setting the bottle on the bedside table and seating himself next to her once more, ”Saurian brandy. Bringer of good decisions and drowner of sorrows.” Eboh let out a low, rumbling chuckle as he spoke, smiling at the woman seated next to him. He took a long sip from his own glass, watching Kythalie as he did so to gauge her reaction, unsure if she had ever had the drink before.

"I once heard a doctor joke that Saurian Brandy could make you go blind." Ekon told the caramel skinned woman as he lowered his glass form his lips, giving her a cheeky smile. "It's absolute nonsense of course. I've had it plenty of times, and the only thing I've lost is my memory." Eboh narrowed his eyes at her theatrically. "And there are some present who I'm sure would simply chalk that up to senility!"

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #55 – November 12, 2018, 11:05:32 AM

[ PO2 Kythalie Benmual | Oldie Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ]
@Fife

She couldn't help but smile a bit more as Ekon defended himself from the title as pervert. There was a valid point in men in general being unable to resist anything when women would place themselves on their lap. The darker thoughts and memories she had got pushed aside as she let the humor of Ekon sip through once more "Well, I suppose it'll be a lesson learned for future dates." she answered him as he admitted to being hopeless in the way of seduction "Who knew an oldie could learn from a youthful girl..." she teased before laughing

She watched Ekon leave the room, reluctantly as she read his body language though Kythalie smiled as he claimed to know just the thing. She had the thought cross her mind that it would be Saurian brandy as the man clearly had an obsession about it. Why else would one even talk to his superior about it, regardless if asked about it. Perhaps all operation crewmen had a drinking problem? A case study she could conduct during her hours if things would grow boring.

The doors slid open once more as the colder air from the communal area breezed at her legs once more. It caused for a shudder to go over her body and she pressed her lips together as she looked Ekon up. She gazed at the two glasses he had in his hand and her brow rose as she spotted the bottle under his arm "Going to pour all of that in the youngsters are we? If I were from Security I'd say it would be a very... Very... dubious way of seduction."

She took the drink from Ekon as she looked at the contents and rolled the beverage around in the glass as he announced the contents of it. It made her lips curl into a grin as she was amused by his talking. "Good to know in that case, no risk of impending blindness... As for the memory loss, I think it'd be wrong to blame it on the drink oldie." she smirked before she ticked her glass against his "To sob stories and a better future." she toasted before she downed the drink instantly and let the burn claim her throat all the way down to her stomach. It was a good reminder to feel alive at least.

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #56 – November 14, 2018, 07:45:03 PM

[ PO1 Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Personal Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ] @Nolan

Eboh laughed at Kythalie’s toast, clinking his glass against hers before raising it to take another sip. He watched Kythalie down her drink, his eyebrows raising in surprise. A wry smile crept over his features as he watched Kythalie lower the now-empty glass. ”While I agree that pouring strong drink into a youngster is a less than savoury form of seduction, I think you’ve just proved that I don’t need to pour it into you.” Ekon told her with a chuckle, shaking his head slightly as he spoke. ”You might want to take it easy. Saurian Brandy may not make you go blind, but it’s still strong stuff.” Eboh’s smile broadened before he continued.

”Besides which, I think we both know that any chance of seduction this evening has, regrettably, long since passed. I’ve grown wise to your wily charms, and am now immune to them.” The dark-skinned man informed her, his rumbling tone one of amusement tinged with a hint of disappointed resignation. ”At this point I simply do not want to try and hold that wild hair of yours out of your face if you get sick.” Eboh nudged Kythalie with his elbow, casting a mischievous glance in her direction. ”Youngsters like you haven’t had a chance to learn their limits yet.” The half El-Aurian teased, giving the Betazoid a wink as he continued to goad her. ”You think you can keep up with us Oldies, but it never ends well.”

With those words, Eboh downed the rest of his own drink and reached across Kythalie to retrieve the bottle from his nightstand to pour them both another measure.

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #57 – November 27, 2018, 10:20:34 AM

[ PO2 Kythalie Benmual | Oldie Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ]
@Fife

A grin formed on Kythalie's lips as she shot Ekon a look "You're the one that brought a bottle... And I was thirsty." she replied as she gave him a false mock and tilted her head away from him. Whilst doing so though, she offered him her empty glass, assuming he'd take the hint and to fill her up again. "Besides, who says a girl like me can't hold her liquor?" she smirked. She did turn her gaze back to him as he spoke further, her mind toying to either tease the old man or to leave it be at that.

She decided to leave it be, yet the comment about holding her wild hair out of her face when she'd get sick simply opened up a target she couldn't miss but comment on. "Would you want to hold my wild hair out of my face if it was for anything else but puking?" she asked suggestively as she narrowed her eyes to the El-Aurian. In return she did nudge her shoulder back to him before she started laughing. She kept her eyes on Ekon as she stretched herself, perhaps deliberately showing off her chest to him as it turned out to be a slow stretch, some of her vertebrae cracked under the pose before she sighed "Are we really turning this into a drinking game oldie? I mean... I know you're desperate for young flesh.. But sheesh... Imagine the look on your caretaker when they find you with vomit all around your bed. You should know that old age and wild drinks don't match."

She couldn't help but tease the dark skinned man, it was just too easy...

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #58 – December 02, 2018, 11:29:30 PM

[ PO1 Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Personal Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ] Attn: @Nolan

Eboh chuckled at Kythalie’s remark, uncorking the bottle as he did so and tipping it to pour more of the potent liquid into the empty glass she offered up to be refilled. When Kythalie asked who had stated a girl like her couldn’t hold her liquor, Eboh offered her a shocked expression, feigning innocence.

Kythalie was certainly sharp of wit, firing back about his hair holding comment with a rather suggestive remark about what other activities might see him holding her hair out of the way. Eboh twisted to face Kythalie then, resting a hand on the mattress behind them as he looked at her with narrowed eyes. ”Oh, I can think of a few things that would have me holding your hair out of your face, Kythalie,” he informed her, the corners of his mouth curving upwards in the makings of a smile as he reached up and lightly brushed the woman’s wild mane of hair with the backs of his fingers. ”Though I would point out that you can hardly blame an Oldie like me for wanting young flesh, especially when the young flesh keeps making such suggestive remarks!” Eboh’s face broke out into a broad grin then, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of restrained desire and mischief as he gave her a wink. ”If you keep bringing up such topics, you might give an old man the wrong idea.” She stretched then, showing off her form once more as the slow stretch dragged on. Eboh couldn’t help himself, his eyes traveling down to take in the view. The mood of the night may have staled, but he could still appreciate a beautiful woman.

Eboh threw his head back and laughed as Kythalie teased him, turning his comment about puking against him. He was starting to get the feeling that he was an easy target for Kythalie’s teasing, out of practice as he was with this sort of banter. ”Why don’t we simply try to enjoy the rest of the night without either of us throwing up.” Eboh suggested, raising his glass towards Kythalie. ”And I would hardly call this a drinking game! We’ve laid down no rules or consequences. Unless you kids don’t play games like Truth or Dare or Never Have I Ever anymore?” Eboh hadn’t played drinking games in years, more out of a wish to avoid the heavy drinking and hangovers than from old age. ”It’s hardly a drinking game if you just throw drinks back one after another.” Eboh’s mischievous expression intensified then, his eyes probing Kythalie’s. ”Or does this drinking game just involve teasing and tormenting old men while you get inebriated?”

Re: 2378/USS Cayuga: New Friends and Fresh Starts

Reply #59 – December 05, 2018, 02:43:46 PM

[ PO2 Kythalie Benmual | Oldie Quarters | USS Cayuga | 2378 ]
@Fife

If anything at all Ekon was holding up well to Kythalie's teasing and remarks. Not that the Betazoid minded as she had fun and all was fun and games at the moment. He acknowledged what he managed to think of a few things in which he'd have to hold the hair out of her face and she couldn't help but grin as she winked at him and sipped from her drink. She started laughing as he pointed out to her that she had posed quite suggestive remarks. She shook her head and kept her reply with a few simple words "Who says they're wrong ideas?"

The Betazoid woman couldn't help but laugh as Ekon suggested a proper drinking game with truth or dare. A game she had only seen a few times when she was on the Academy grounds. She shook her head and answered with a rather coy tone to it "Kids these days do still play that game, but lets keep that for another occasion." she left the remark about intoxicating the old man with booze unchallenged as she worked her way to the end of her drink as they talked about various other topics. The teasing kept on, but not as hard pushed as before.

Eventually it was becoming rather late and Kythalie could feel the pleasant buzz of the brandy in her system. She had become slightly more touchy with Ekon, resting against his side and slapping him on occasions when he'd tease her. Eventually she let out a yawn before she straightened herself up "Oldie, I shall let you retire to bed. Don't want you to miss out on any special activities tomorrow at the old folks club." she grinned before she stretched herself again "Plus, I think it is high time for me to find my own bunk and fall asleep. Thank you for tonight Ekon. It was fun, certainly something we should do again later." she smiled as she gave him a kiss on his cheek.

With that she got up, either showing herself out or having Ekon walk her to the door. She wouldn't let him walk her all the way back to her quarters. If he insisted she'd suggest to have the next meet over at her place in order to reach a compromise. She kissed Ekon again on the cheek before waving him goodbye and disappearing in the hallways of the Cayuga.

FIN