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EPI: S [D04|0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz


Victor was doing his best to rest in his quarters after his treatment. The wounds he'd sustained on Qo'nos certainly felt significantly better than they had even a few short hours ago. But here it was, one in the morning, and Victor couldn't sleep. Being in stasis for months, and then the adrenaline earlier had likely killed any need or desire for sleep for the day or so he felt. The cocktail of painkillers Victor had gotten from Zark had worn off a few hours ago, and the treatment in Sickbay had been polite end efficient, but since his wounds were relatively minor, some minor tissue regeneration had patched him up, though as always his skin never healed right. The disruptor burns were angular wounds that he'd carry upon his back for years, or at least until he finally caved into vanity.

But there was enough navel-gazing and ennui to last a lifetime already, and sitting in his quarters didn't help matters at all. So Victor needed a workout,  something to blow off some steam. And it was decided that the Senior NCO got dressed in flared leather boots, a pair of tight black pants, and a billowing open collar shirt, tied about the waist in a red silk sash that billowed when he moved. The entire ensemble is topped off by a houndstooth head covering and a single flared leather glove over his cybernetic left hand, ideally suited to his favorite Holodeck program 'Sand pirates of the Sahara', there was something about that program.

The high temperatures of the holodeck for that, the way the music swelled and the wind caused his sash and shirt to billow, made him feel like a hero. The heroic dashing feeling was most significant as he slashed his way through the army of corrupted Medjays controlled by the fearsome villain Rakh-ne-Khut. The pomp and grandeur made him feel alive. The last piece of accouterment was his rapier, the long thin blade made from the salvaged tritanium of a Peregrine fighter, one he'd personally flown many times checking it. Until that fateful day above Earth when that same fighter had taken his eye when it exploded. Giving the rapier a test swing and lunge in his quarters. Satisfied that time had not warped the blade or dulled the razor-sharp point, he tucks it into the sash at his hip and makes for the holodeck. He had grown a preference for the Holodecks up on deck eight rather than the ones down on deck twenty-one. Besides, this time of night, the deck eight ones were liable to be vacant.

Victor entered the turbolift to deck eight, smiling as he moved with a  rogue swagger and style. "Thea, deck Eight, please, I'm going to the holodeck for some fencing." The turbolift started and made short work of the journey. Stepping off onto Deck eight, the strangely dressed Bajoran-Human male makes his way to Holodeck one. Seeing that it was running and not checking the name, he figured that whoever it was had left the thing running after they'd headed off to bed or whatever. There was no way someone else was up at one in the damn morning playing around on a holodeck. Victor lets out a sigh and looks to the air. "Thea, please end the program in process in Holodeck One, and begin program 'Sand pirates of the Sahara' for me please if you don't mind. Thank you kindly, Thea."

With that, the program in progress blinks out of existence, and the world of full color is replaced by the monochromatic hues of the Egyptian desert. The room's temperature ratchets up quickly to a sweltering forty degrees celsius, and the wind begins to blow. The wind was a steady twenty-five kilometers an hour to keep the occupants slightly cool and to allow the brilliant red sash about his waist to fly dramatically behind him. And thus Victor steps into the holodeck, entering the monochromatic world of his fantasies, the only flash of color about him the brilliant blood-red sash, immediately catching the breeze and blowing behind him in a dramatic swirl. But then there was something that Victor didn't expect, the sight of a diminutive figure already in the holodeck. Her back to him, Victor's heart begins beating rapidly in his chest when he speaks.

"It's you; after three years, it's you." So many years of surprise and wonder trapped in those few words. The tall man stood there blinking in the hot Egyptian sun, barely believing that the woman in front of him wasn't a mirage. What could he say  beyond that? He he stood, in a black and white desert, ready to do battle. The next words were said with his old roguish charm, the only others he could think of here and now. "Care to join me?"

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #1 –
[ Lieutenant Enyd Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

Strange how one could loathe mornings and yet insist upon staying up late into one. The irony was not lost on Enyd as she repeated the controlled slicing movement of her blade before stepping back into the ready position again. Enyd had known better than to attempt sleep after they returned to Theurgy from the Great Hall. Unlike some, she gained energy from being around people, and when a mission was successful, well, that energy gain was thrice-fold, leaving her nearly as energized as if she’d drank a vat of Klingon coffee. Even if it meant remaining awake until the end of her next duty shift, Enyd would remain awake into the wee hours of the morning until she worked through the pent-up energy.

After her reports were made—and boy had those been enlightening and amusing both—Enyd had retreated to her quarters long enough to shower, toss her bloodied uniform into the recycler, and scrounge out her exercise clothing. She still felt as self-conscious as ever in the standard issued gear and made yet another promise to herself to make the time to fix this issue. Enyd understood her standards of modesty and comfort were far from the norm and perhaps even fickle, since she had worn next to nothing on a diplomatic mission on more than one occasion. However, Enyd chalked up this illogic of it all to that simple fact that she was a human female and was given to fits of unpredictability.

By the time she flitted through the corridors to the holodeck on deck 8, Enyd was refreshed, armed once more with her gifted tik’leth, and very ready to work out her energy in the training program Mickayla had shared with her. She passed more crewmates than she would’ve cared to see, at least dressed as she was, but Enyd hid her personal discomfort behind friendly smiles and a steady step to her destination. Once she was in the program, Enyd lost all track of time. Her muscles told her she’d been at it for quite some time, but the internal engine of energy still had quite a bit of fuel leftover, and she was left at an impasse. Blow out her muscles or go mad crawling the walls of her quarters until she finally felt sleepy enough to lie down.

It was as she hesitated in her movements, contemplating her dilemma when, without warning, Enyd’s borrowed program ended and another started. Although she’d spent years on Vulcan, the abrupt change to high desert temperature and monochromatic landscape had Enyd’s senses screaming at her. Lowering her blade, Enyd pressed a gloved hand to her forehead, blinking her eyes and lightly shaking her head to clear away the confusion. At least there was a steady wind, Enyd thought to herself when she opened her eyes again. It was still hot as hades, but at least there was a breeze in hell.

Hearing the holodeck door open and close behind her, Enyd relaxed her grip on the tik’leth as she pivoted on her toes. She didn’t want to frighten the newcomer, though she had every intention of making it known that she wasn’t finished yet. Only her words died in her throat, and her mouth dropped open when she recognized the roguish visage standing before her. He was dressed in a pair of period-looking boots and pants, his outfit completed with an 18th-century open-collar shirt and tied red silk sash around his waist, and a head covering with a houndstooth pattern. She noted that his cybernetic hand bore a red glove, perfectly matching the sash presently waving in the wind at his side. He too came with a blade, a rapier it seemed, and immediately Enyd’s mind was filled with all the letters, all the stories, the affection, and then the pain of cutting ties.

Victor seemed as taken aback to see her as Enyd, and it was after a moment of shocked silence, he spoke. He said the very words she’d been thinking. For what type of eloquence could you offer in a situation like this? After nearly a decade of correspondence and affection shared, Enyd had been the one to break off things without offering an explanation. Anderson had not authorized her to tell anyone about the mission he’d given her, and instead of maintaining an area of risk, either risk of her revealing too much on accident or risk of Victor getting caught in the crossfire, she’d chosen the harder path of ending things.

Let him believe what he would her reasons for it, but Enyd had believed the life of the Castellan and the continued peace of Cardassia far more important than breaking it easy with Victor. She’d felt too easy a break, and he would fight it, perhaps even try to get leave and meet her on Cardassia. Then Javec would be tipped off to something and through him his old associates, and it was for intel on those associates that Anderson had recruited her and required her silence.

Enyd blinked against the light. Victor still stood there, a dashing corsaire from her past returned. Three years and so much of a lifetime had been lived and grieved already. Then Victor’s question had Enyd visible starting, her left foot shifting back in shock.

“Join you?” She parroted.

He wanted to duel when what they really needed was a long discourse on what the hell had happened? Enyd opened her mouth, then closed it again. She remembered now how he thought better on his feet through movement, how his words flowed more freely when he could focus on something in his environment as he spoke his mind. She was similar in many ways, and perhaps that was why, of all things, Victor had invited her to a duel. Enyd looked again at his rapier and outfit and allowed a playful half-smile.

“I believe I am underdressed and without proper weaponry. I stand here, a lady, in need of your assistance regarding such matters, Mister van Vinter.”

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #2 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor drew his rapier, and holding it straight with his spine, he bows eloquently before putting it back into his belt, a rogue grin coming into his face, and he looks up to the sky. "Thea, please pause the program, and render an Arch please, also, please give Miss Madsen a dressing room." With a devilish gleam in his eyes, he makes a few quick taps on the arch after looking Enyd over, and it appeared that her sizes hadn't changed too terribly much.  So after a brief moment, he stands up and snaps his fingers for a matter of show as the dressing room with clothing renders right next to Enyd, the curtain of it open, showing a pair of knee-high leather boots, pants that appeared to be white and black stripes in a simple vertical pattern. The shirt and belt matched Victor's but sized for Enyd. The feather on top was a Cavalier hat in white with a blood-red feather stuck in the hat.

"I do believe that the current sword suits this lovely program. It's not a duel, and it's something else." Victor pauses for a moment, tapping his chin then giving Enyd a wistful look. He still carried a torch for Enyd. That much was clear from the way she spoke and acted towards Enyd, the small movements, the precise wording. While unsure if he'd get a second chance with her, if she even wanted one, he dearly hoped so. "Thea, resume the program, and please play the Introduction for us if you don't mind." Victor turns his back on Enyd and the dressing room and stares upwards at the monochrome sky, observing the opening crawl of the holo-novel.

With those words being said, a trumpet fanfare plays from nowhere, echoing through the hot, dusty Sahara desert, and words appear in the air, scrolling from bottom to top at an odd angle. Accompanying the words is a resonant booming voice speaking in dramatic tones.  "Sand Pirates of the Sahara, Chapter Five: Rakh-ne-Khut and the Medjay army." Here the music changes to something more dark and sinister in a minor key, pairing up well with the drama of the words.

"Rakh-ne-Khut has awoken! Once the Sorceror of the Pharoh Amun-ket, this vile villain practiced forbidden magics in life, earning the ire of the god of death himself, the fearsome Anubis! Stealing into the realm of Anubis, Rakh-ne-Khut stole the left eye of the dark god and affixed it into his staff, giving him the power to control the dead.  Now, centuries later, Rakh-ne-Khut has awoken! And he thirsts to rebuild the Egyptian dynasties under his own banner.  Our heroes must fight through the elite of his Medjay army and claim his scepter of power! But they are not the only ones that seek to claim the scepter..." The music fades away into the gusty winds, the final chords of a sinister oboe falling away upon the blustery desert winds.

"Thea, please pause the program." Victor's voice rang out with that, breaking the spell that the music and voiceover had given the scene. Hopefully, Enyd had been changing and listening at the same time. "Basically, we fight as a team through the army of zombie mummies, steal a magical staff, and escape before the Legionnaires catch up to us. Their commander, Colonel Martrand, is quite the villain. You fight him with the aid of his lieutenant in the next chapter. But I like this one, and it's good exercise, lots of running, which I know you hate." He pauses and gives a slight blush, even if Enyd couldn't see him, but he continues quickly. "And plenty of good swordfights. I know you can use a pistol if you want, but really, that takes the fun out of it." He knew that they had to sit and talk things out at some point, but right now, he'd ruined whatever fun Enyd had been having, and he needed to make it up to her. Bond over killing zombie-mummies now, worry about mending or calling everything off later. Maybe even while they had time together wearing themselves out and getting sweaty in the holodeck, who was to say? Even if a hack had written this program, whoever Reg B was, was undoubtedly a bit of a hack, and just why did Colonel Martrand resemble Captain Picard with a goatee and mustache anyway? It wasn't like Victor had some amateur hack penning his life's story after all, and he was his own man. And here he was, accidentally reunited in an awkward manner that could perhaps be salvaged, into something fun at the very least.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #3 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

It was comforting to see Victor act in much the way she remembered, a blend of playfully dramatized actions of a gentleman. The computer materialized a dressing room next to her at his order with a suggested outfit already waiting. After a cursory glance, Enyd couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled from her throat. He was as delightfully over the top as ever, and it took all her willpower not to cry in relief. There was still hope for them. Of course, they would never be what they were, for they were no longer those people, but that didn’t mean they could recover some sort of kinship between them again.

Hiding the brightness of tears, Enyd tucked herself into the dressing room as she listened to Victor explain that no, in fact, it was not to be a duel, unlike her earlier assumption. He further assisted her understanding of the context by having the computer play the introduction while she changed. The dramatic music and matching voice offering the summary had Enyd laughing. Of course, it would be so extravagantly charming.

Enyd found she much preferred the outfit he’d had made for her over the Starfleet standard-issue exercise gear she’d been wearing earlier. The billowing material of the black-and-white pants tucked into the knee-high boots made her feel far more comfortable and capable of fighting off hordes of zombies, as was apparently her objective in this program. The red feather in her 17th-century hat was a nice touch and solicited another smile of joy from Enyd. The amalgamation of different historical periods wrapped into one adventure-themed program was well-suited for Victor.

Emerging from the dressing room, tik’leth tucked into the sword belt her outfit provided, Enyd watched Victor as he added further details regarding the program. The villainous Colonel, the nefarious Legionnaires, the promised aid of a dashing lieutenant in future levels, and the reminder of the zombie army. He was childish wonderment wrapped in the shell of an adult man, and it did her heart good to see him like this again. All these years, when she’d allowed herself to think of him, she’d hoped that he never lost this side of his soul despite the pain she knew her actions had caused. And it seemed he hadn’t, and instead of that wounding her pride, making her wonder if he’d felt as strongly for her as she’d once thought, it comforted her that his levels of resilience and tenacious hope far outweighed any despair she might have caused him.

“I still hate running,” her voice drew his attention back to her, and she smiled when she caught his gaze, “But I’ve learned that there’s a time and place to allow that hate to dictate my actions. I’m fairly certain a zombie mummy coming for my head will be plenty of incentive to hightail on your sash-tail.” Giving a quick sigh, Enyd squinted as she looked around them. This was good. They had a mutual goal, something to work towards in the program, which would help them get over the awkward hurdle of the unexpected reunion faster than any duel could have. Bringing expectant eyes back to rest on his face, Enyd smiled, “So where to next, Mister van Vinter? You take point.”

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #4 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor couldn't help buts mirk slightly at Enyd's pronouncement about running, and he rolled his eyes playfully. "We do what we must sometimes, and there's no fault in having to do things that we need to."  It was clear from the significant look that he'd given Enyd that he wasn't just speaking about running and that there were no hard feelings. Orders were orders.  With a mischievous smile, Victor draws his rapier and looks dead ahead to the gleaming Egyptian temple about a hundred meters away, and he nods to Enyd, letting her know to make her weapon ready.

"Thea, please resume the program." And with that, the music swells into something ominous, and the sound of moaning comes from the temple, followed by a horde of undead Medjays. Some of the zombie mummies came with spears, others with bows and some with khopesh blades. As soon as the music reaches its crescendo, Victor charges forward into the horde of four score strong formation of zombies. Even with the practice, he made short work of them. Efficient and straightforward thrusts through the empty eye sockets into the brain made them fall. "Aim for the head Enyd; it's the fastest way!"

Victor was practically dancing through the Zombies with a smile on his face and fluttering of the belt at his hip. The stiff breeze and staccato music providing plenty of refreshment while the oppressive heat and toil of battle tugged at his body, wearing him slightly. This was just the beginning of it, and made for a light enough workout to be sure. "So, how long have you been aboard anyway? I didn't ever run into you when I was on the Valkyrie program here. You must've come aboard while I was indisposed." It wasn't the usual banter as he parried and stabbed his way through zombies, but he was curious. "After we finish these off, then we have to enter the temple and find our way through a maze, fight more zombies, and then we come to the Big bad evil dude." Sure, it was conversational whiplash, but that was something that Enyd and Victor were both used to with each other.

"So, just where did you get the sword anyway, It seems, I dunno, heavier, more Klingon than you usually use?" While curious, he wouldn't ask specifics if those wound up being classified. He knew very well when to keep his mouth shut and when to keep pressing his luck.

Through the chaos of battle, he'd catch sight of her, the red feather and belt bobbing and weaving through the undead horde, easy to track in the monochrome environs of the program. Seeing her after so long and the carefree way in which he'd slipped into old mannerism and actions. It had been easier than he would have expected. Victor did feel love for the miniature chaos tornado, that was clear to him. He so dearly wanted to pick things up where they left off, but they would have to have a long chat after this about their future. He knew they couldn't ignore it, not with the pair stationed on the same ship. For now, the serendipity of working together to solve a common goal, as ridiculous as zombie mummies were, it would help. Victor probably would have preferred to have had a nice quiet dinner as opposed to something like this, but really, it wasn't like he'd planned this little escapade in the slightest.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #5 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

Enyd quickly looked past Victor towards the Egyptian temple. It sounded as if he were offering her forgiveness, but how could he be when he didn’t even know the half of why and what she’d done?

She wasn’t given time to internally wax eloquent on the matter, however, for as soon as Victor told the program to resume, a wave of music consumed the area, accompanied by the hair rousing sound of zombie moans. Enyd unsheathed her sword as both her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. There were so many of them, how could they…

Enyd jumped when Victor darted full kilt into the mass of armed necrotic flesh. He yelled instructions over his shoulder as he sliced, stabbed, and diced his way through the attacking mob. Only when one zombie gurgled a threat almost in her ear as he rattled his blade in his grip did Enyd finally catch up to the fact that she was REALLY in this. She was really, truly in a holodeck program with Victor van Vinter and that was a real fake zombie about to thrust his spear into her gut. Leaping to the side, Enyd kicked at the spear-wielding zombie, watching in satisfaction as he plodded forward in an uneven gait before tilting headfirst into the sand, his legs pumping madly in the air above him. Enyd let out a little squeal of happiness then before she turned to face the others.

Pulling a move from old Earth films, Enyd took off her hat long enough to crack her skull against the next would-be attacking mummy. Its skull collapsed, and the body fell with a thud at her feet. Her grandmother HAD always told her to use her head! She emitted another gleeful laugh, stepping onto the back of the discarded fiend for added height as she used the tik’leth to crack, clang, and slish its way on, in, and through the zombies that dared to step too close.

She tasted salt on her lips and felt the sting of the sand-filled breeze in her throat, but that didn’t stop the smile from maintaining its presence on her face as she decapitated two zombies in one swing, jumped into the air as they landed thunk thud on top of the original zombie platform she’d been standing on. A ladder of corpses. How splendid!

Over the din of her peals of laughter and the pathetic moans of her victims, Enyd heard Victor speaking. A zombie lunged at her chest, missed, earned a tap of judgment against its skull with the tip of her sword before she kicked its legs out from under it and brought the sword down against its neck.

“I transferred in only a few days ago if even that and came aboard from a Klingon rendezvous transport.” When another zombie leaned forward, Enyd used his momentum against it as she rolled over the top of his back, spun on her toes, and kicked him in his bony rear. He spilled over the hill of mummified flesh and allowed her the freedom to choose her next victim. “A maze, eh? I’m good with puzzles.”

She didn’t have the chance to add that her puzzle skills usually involved destroying the puzzles altogether. A particularly brutish zombie had come up behind her and take her off guard. Wrapping his arms of putrid flesh around her torso, the zombie stood with a howl. Enyd thrashed in its grip, kicking her legs against its body as she tried to smack her head backward against its face. It was all to no avail.

“Mmph…it’s a gift from…ergh…a lovely Klingon lass I meant on the…aiyoph…ship.” Enyd was proud of herself that she hadn’t lost said sword with this behemoth holding onto her.

Inspired once more from ancient Earth films, Enyd changed her grip on the sword, angled her head to the side, and awkwardly stabbed over her shoulder. It took three desperate jabs before she was successful in destroying the zombie’s brain matter. Yet, the fall back to the sand was less than graceful. Her hat fell from her head as she plunked down on her hands and knees. Tossing back her disheveled hair, Enyd peered up at Victor and gave a hearty laugh before grabbing her sword, and her hat, and leaping back into the fray at his side.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #6 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor couldn't help but smile, seeing Enyd get into the swing of the action. It took her a moment, the undead Medjays nearly on top of her before she acted, but when she did, seeing the tornado of chaos she unleashed made him smile. This wasn't quite like old times of course, but at least they'd managed to agree to have fun together. And Enyd did look quite fetching in her period clothing. The joy he felt and the distraction from the conversation nearly caused one of the khopesh wielders to take his head! Victor darts to the side and dicks with a surprised expression, just barely dodging the curved bronze blade.

Figuring it would just be a simple thrust through the eye, Victor nearly jumps when the Medjay manages to parry his blade. So, it was one of the 'lieutenants' then and so early in the fight. His heart hammering with excitement, a rogue gleam was coming to his eye as he sped up just a little, staying outside of the striking range of the lieutenant. Victor takes the barest of moments to pierce the eye sockets of the five nearest to him with quick, simple thrusts, the spear carriers falling quickly to his blade before he focuses on the lieutenant. His footwork needs to be more precise here, careful of the terrain and the other Medjays.  Moving up a small flight of stairs backward, Victor sees his chance and tries for another stab through the eye, only to be parried again. he frowns then and quickly finds Enyd. He was spotted the woman nearly atop a pile of shattered zombie corpses. Deciding that he needed help with this one, Victor slowly makes his way towards her, slaying Zombies as he goes. Short simply thrusts through the eyes when possible, or neck snaps when not.

It took nearly a full minute through the hot chaos of battle, all the while, the tempo of the music increases, the tone becoming more Ominous, Victor was being backed into a corner. And oh no! There was another of the lieutenants, he saw it now, the scarlet scarab brooches at the center of their gorgets. Three of them, boxing him in, the shadow of an obelisk crossing his path. It couldn't be that easy, could it? It was hard to think with the sun beating down and the music and zombie moans assaulting his ears. The lanky Bajoran got an idea, a crazy one, but one that might work!

Hopping up on the plinth of the Obelisk, he saw it, the crack that had to be in its foundation. Putting his shoulder into it, Victor pushes with all of his might. The sound of a trombone blasting through the air as the Obelisk moves just a bit. He tries again, the zombies closing in all around him!

Another ominous horn blast, with the second shove, and dust comes free for the fissure in the Obelisk, and it began to sway. There wasn't much time, Victor's blood running cold in the hot sun, the zombies closing in from all side, all around him! With a final heave, the Obelisk comes down, and a triumphal fanfare resounds through the temple as the Obelisk comes crashing down, taking out several of the lesser zombies, but more importantly, making a path towards Enyd. Victor runs across the way he'd created just as Enyd slew the last of her zombies, and he points to the three remaining medjays. "Those are the lieutenants of Rakh-ne-Khut, the sorcerer. we'll have to use teamwork to take them down, my love!" Had he just really called her 'my love' he had, hadn't he? And it had come so effortlessly so reflexively when calling for aid and giving instruction. They dearly needed that talk later, but first zombies.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #7 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

Enyd yelped in surprise when, just as she finished the last of the horde near her, an obelisk landed nearby. Taking the head of the last zombie dumb enough to lumber close by, Enyd watched in amused wonderment as Victor ran across it as if the stone column were a bridge. Her eyes wide with excitement, she eagerly nodded when Victor explained the status of the three remaining zombies. It didn’t occur to her he’d used a term of endearment. Her mind was entirely focused on the coming fight. Studying the lieutenants as Victor described them, Enyd frowned in thought.

“I’ll fight low if you fight high?” Enyd blatantly traced her eyes up and down his stature when she turned to look at him. “I can aim for knees, ankles, and hips, take them down that way if you keep them occupied up top.”

Bending, Enyd jerked a buckler shield out of a zombie’s hand, pausing long enough to pull the zombie’s hand off the handle before hoisting it up to eye level. Stabbing her sword into the sand by her feet, she used the sash around her waist to secure the shield to her back.

“This should keep any attacks off my back while you watch it,” Enyd winked at him as she grabbed her sword again and tapped it against Victor’s in a gesture of teamwork. “I’ll be in Scotland afore ye, mon corsair!”

Enyd let out her best rendition of a Highlander’s bellow before launching herself toward the zombie lieutenants. She trusted Victor to take care of the upper portions of the zombies and kept her entire focus on their foot movements and their legs, ignoring entirely their arms. She was upon the closest lieutenant within seconds and tucking her head down and bending slightly at the waist as she crouched, Enyd resembled an armed mutant turtle as she took to carving her intention to win this level into the zombie flesh that presented itself to her reach.

Giggling to herself as she worked, Enyd couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much gruesome fun. Gone were her concerns about having a DTR , or "define the relationship," conversation with Victor after a profuse and heartfelt apology. Replaced with a singular purpose of destroying bad guys with Victor.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #8 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor nodded to Enyd when she proposed her idea, it made sense, and it was relatively simple and easy to implement, so why not! After all, It was usually the most straightforward ideas that were the easy ones. "Sure, no problem there. you take low, I take high, and let's only make the zombies dead!" He fairly cackled then going for the eyes and heads, his blows parried more often than not, but through their joint efforts, the lieutenants begin to fall.

Working in tandem with his more skilled companion made things easier and more difficult if he wanted to be honest about it. Thanks to Enyd's skill, and his lengthy stride, they manage to stay out of each other's way. The first of the Lieutenant's fall with a joint attack between them both, the Zombie's hips getting smashed right when Victor goes for a stab through the eye. It falls, and the two remaining begin circling. Moving in closer to the pair. "be on your toes, my love, they're coming for us..." and then he saw it, another obelisk nearby with a wide visible crack.

"Alright, Enyd, keep them distracted; I'm going to try something. Those two are working together, it seems. Look at their movements. keep them close to each other!" The medajys were indeed moving in tandem, watching each other's weak sides and slowly beginning to test the coordination of Enyd and Victor as they dart in and then back out. He was feinting while the further strikes—one of the medjays armed with a spear and shield, the other with a khopesh.

With that, Victor darts off towards the temple walls, scaling them efficiently thanks to the easy handholds. The fatigue in his body was making the usually easy climb quite tricky. He wasn't quite sure if they could beat the Big bad in this state. If Enyd were half as exhausted as he was, a break to catch their breaths would be in order soon. What time was it anyway?

Those were things to consider another time though, victor runs over towards the Obelisk and begins pushing against it, the music becoming more ominous as the undead medjays close in around Enyd. She'd need to hold on just a few more seconds...

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #9 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

Clang! The shield on her back vibrated with every blow the zombie’s weapon pounded against it. Crack! His ankle bones in his left foot were broken, throwing his body off balance enough to stave off another deafening blow for a moment. Smack! Enyd’s head swam when the second zombie’s kick against her side caused her head to rear up into the edge of her otherwise protective shield. She groaned as she used an en croix movement to maneuver away from further kicks at the same time that she swiped and sliced at the surrounding air. Hunched over as she was, her sweat quickly collected around her eyes and, in mixing with the sand and dust, created a creasing cascade of muck that itched like the devil.

Just when Enyd thought she’d made it enough out of harm’s way to take a quick swipe at her face, BOOM! She ate sand as her body was suddenly, and mercilessly, pounded into the ground. It seemed in her efforts to evade, the zombies had rejoined their efforts and attacked simultaneously, slamming both fists and weapons against her shield with enough force to send her hurtling headfirst into the desert floor.

Enyd heard the scraping rustle of sand against metal as she scrambled to pull her knees up under her, curling inward like a turtle as the zombies continued their relentless onslaught against her. She thought perhaps she could hold out this way until Victor figured out whatever it was he’d gone off to do, earning a rattling headache from the incessant rattling in her ears, but unharmed otherwise. But then one of the zombie’s wisened up and just as suddenly as she’d been collapsed onto the desert floor, she was hoisted—still attached to the shield—into the air and held aloft over the zombie’s head, her arms and legs squirming about like an upturned beetle.

“Any time, Victor, would be a good time!” She yelled nowhere in particular except to the heavens directly above her, hoping her dearest friend would hear her before she became a zombie kebab.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #10 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor's efforts finally bore fruit, with a triumphal fanfare of horns blasting through the air. The obelisk that he was working to topple gives way. The heavy stone edifice tumbling down through the air to great musical fanfare and crushes one of the zombies beneath its weight. A cloud of dust and sand flying up through the air and creating a dense cloud, obscuring the area.  Victor pumps his fist triumphantly in the air with the defeat of the zombie. As the cloud of dust clears, the final zombie is bearing down on Enyd, its shield and spear at the ready. With widening eyes, Victor hears the music becoming more tense and quicker as it advances on Enyd.

Looking around nearby for any way down, Victor spots it, a  rope barely attached to a nearby brazier. There wasn't much time. Victor grabbed the rotting rope and, with a heave, ripped it away from where it was tied up, the weight of the brazier yanking him forward as it fell to the ground. Physics takes over then, and he swings wide over the head of Enyd and the approaching Zombie warrior. Losing control and with the rope tearing apart under his hands, Victor had one last chance. Shifting his weight after impacting on another pillar of the temple, he swings towards Enyd and the zombie. Nearly there, he needed to hold on for just a fraction of a second longer!

But no, it was not to be. The rope gives with a tearing shredding sound. Falling free, the lanky gentleman finds himself tumbling through the air and on a direct course for the undead medjay.

Victor called out sharply, with a nearly panicked voice with barely a second to spare! "Watch out, Enyd!" and with scarcely a second pause, Victor crashes into the fallen shattered obelisk and bounces off of it in a manner impossible save for the safety protocols on in the Holodeck. His flailing body was arcing just high enough to clear his diminutive companion,  hitting the ground, and he rolled, trying to kill his momentum, careening right into the zombie. The sound of snapping and shattering bone pierces the air, with the sharp popping noises that could only come from the zombie.

Out of breath and on the ground, his body was racked with pain and fatigue. Victor would be off his feet for a good few seconds. But so was the zombie quite literally in its case—the prone position of the creature giving Enyd a perfect opportunity to finish it off. Right now, though, Victor needed a minute. He wasn't sure if he'd sprained something, but it certainly felt like he had.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #11 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

Enyd stopped her thrashing long enough to track Victor’s Tarzan-like style of rescue, only with marginally less finesse and much more clothing than Enyd remembered the fictional jungle character wearing. When Victor missed them on his first pass, Enyd was curious just how “safe” the safety protocols were in reference to her current predicament. Was it possible to be injured enough to head to sickbay? If so, then maybe a game like this so soon after the mission was risky as she certainly didn't want to put any more pressure on the medical staff than what they were already dealing with. But then, with a sharp cry from Victor as her only warning, Enyd was once again air born as he crashed into the zombie holding her aloft. With a rapid descent to the ground whilst still atop her shield, she was momentarily dazed when her head cracked against the shield for a second time. After glancing about and seeing Victor in a worse condition, Enyd rustled up what grit she had left in her bones after hours of training on her own and quite the intro explosion of activity with Victor's holodeck game.

“You cannot have him!” Enyd yelled as theatrically as possible as she ungracefully rolled off her shielded back and, with a quick flourishing movement, stabbed her sword through the zombie’s brain matter, immediately stilling its movements and preventing further attacks.

With all immediate threats taken care of, Enyd sank back on her heels, dropped her arms to her sides, and looked over to Victor. Her hair was a mass of waves about her head, her skin covered in dusty salt formations that itched like the devil, and her lips were drawn back into a satisfied, though fatigued, smile.

“I’ve got to admit, Victor,” she shifted back further, falling onto her rump as she stretched out her legs in the sand in front of her, “a cold beer and some downtime to talk would be nice right about now.” She broke eye contact long enough to gesture toward the temple. “I do want to continue the game as you have it set. It is most delightful. However,” she gave a half shrug alongside a goofy smile, “I’d really like that beer.”

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #12 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 8: Holodeck 01 | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Looking up from the sandy ground, Victor coughed, grinning at Enyd, seeing her pierce the zombie with her sword. It was beautiful seeing the woman he loved saving him from the marauding Medjay. Witness that alone had undoubtedly made his pratfall well worth it. While some men might be ashamed to be rescued by a woman as diminutive as Enyd, Victor was surely not one of them. The very instant that Enyd pulled her sword from the zombie's skull, the battle was done. The music plays a triumphal fanfare with lots of horns. He sat there for a moment and nodded politely to Enyd's request to go for a drink. It was a lot to process, but his aching body and weary mind needed a rest. So it was with only slight reluctance that Victor called out, "Thea, please save and end the program."

And the program stops, the breeze ceases blowing, and the dunes disappear, color returning to the world, in the form of the grey holodeck with colored stripes between tiles. And the full color and nuance to their clothing. Victor takes a moment to laugh with amusement at the look of Enyd's attire, now in full bloom. Victor laughs long and loud, seeing Enyd in full color.

"My love, you look fabulously ridiculous. I love it." However, his garb was also rather garish. The bright gold of his shirt shone like the brilliance of a sunset. And the slick glossiness of his tight leather pants didn't quite work with the blood-red of the sash tied around his waist. Victor certainly looked quite the sight sprawled there on the ground, covered in dust and the dried sweat.

He picks himself up, wincing slightly at the aches and pained. No real injuries, but the man had had a day. And he had another one ahead of him. "Maybe just a Hot-toddy or something for me. Maybe an herbal tea, I should stay sober, duty in less than eight hours for me, I'm afraid." He extends his hand to Enyd then and gestures to the doors with a restrained yawn.

"Alright, to the Lounge then? I think that would be best for us, even if we may surprise the rest of the crew dressed as we are." There was a slight pause then before speaking his following few words. "There's so much that needs to be said, and thank you for giving me this chance, love, and it means a great deal." He smiles lovingly to Enyd then, standing there, offering his hand like the gentleman that he was, that he always had been with Enyd. They needed to have a talk in a more calm environment than the one they'd had. While Victor expected the chat to be an intriguing one, there wasn't anything that he expected beyond that.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 01 | Deck 8 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Tae

Enyd glanced down at her ensemble, now shining in all its vivid color, and mirrored Victor’s laughter with her own. His outfit was just as kitschy, and Enyd knew they would strike quite the sight in the lounge. She took his hand to get up and immediately shifted it to the crook of his elbow, much like they’d done in the past. It was muscle memory more than anything, but even once Enyd noticed what she’d done, she left her hand there and walked calmly by his side. Victor had thus far treated her more than she knew she deserved given the way she’d cut ties with him, and, taking present treatment as evidence, Enyd got the feeling he’d much prefer her to act casual and not guilty.

Enyd felt they were lucky no one sent security after them to force a mental health check, walking arm-in-arm down the corridors, swords strapped to their sides. Of course, the absurd hour kept the corridors mostly vacant, which aided in their safe arrival at the lounge. It wasn’t as vacant as the corridors had been, but those in the lounge were too preoccupied with nursing their own drinks and mulling over past events to pay them much heed. At least, so far. True to her comment earlier, Enyd ordered a Belgium pale ale and waited until after Victor ordered, and they were seated comfortably at a lounge seat adjacent to the observation window before she took a much-needed sip. Though the sip turned into a longer gulp, and once she finished, Enyd was not at all surprised to find almost half the pint fully drunk and sported a white mustache for her efforts.

Laughing at her own brutish behavior, Enyd drew the back of her hand over her mouth and sighed, “I’m not even going to apologize for that.” She held up the beer and swirled it within the glass. “I needed that.” She ducked her head and turned to the side when a soft burp gurgled up her throat. Still smiling, Enyd returned her gaze to her friend. “I will apologize for that, though.” She blushed then and sighed. “And I’ll apologize for not offering a toast to our reunion.” Enyd held up her glass again and leaned forward. “To finding old friends in the damndest places and circumstances.”

She was curious if within the last few minutes Victor recognized the changes in her, the death of her naïve faith in eternal goodness within all people, the increased resilience and penchant for violence if pressed into a corner, or the hardened corners of her heart that had been cauterized by the fires of the Forge. Enyd knew the conversation they were about to have was going to be hard, though necessary, and despite the coming discomfort and likely tears, she thanked whatever entity that cared for having this opportunity to have some closure on the part of her soul she’d written off entirely.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #14 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 28 | Below Decks lounge | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor was utterly thrilled along the corridors of the Theurgy with Enyd on his arm. It felt like old times at first blush, blush he knew things had changed. Victor had noticed some of the difference in Enyd, not all of it but some. The way she'd attacked the zombies had been more brutal and direct than he'd imagined she would have in years past. Enyd had still delighted in the havoc they'd partaken in, so there was that at the very least. There was so much to say. The walk to the lounge had allowed him time to parse things out and everything together in his mind. True to his word, he ordered an herbal tea, something to help him sleep.

As Victor sat down and took his beverage, he breathed a slight smile watching Enyd chug half of her beer and then belch. He almost giggled but was distracted by the potentially bittersweet moment. He raises his glass, clinking it to Enyd's in the toast. Taking a little bit longer to collect his thoughts, Victor starts things off with a heavy sigh, taking in the sight of the garishly dressed diminutive woman, so many thoughts racing through his mind in the span of a heartbeat. He knew that he still loved Enyd, but he didn't know what the break had meant for her. Looking into her beautiful eyes, Victor nearly broke down and lost all composure demanding that they resume things as they had been. He so dearly wanted that. He wanted her, and he knew that he loved her beyond all measure. After a long moment's consideration, what finally came out of his mouth was a calm and honest tone, his gaze directed straight at Enyd.

"I still love you Enyd, and I always have since the night we met on Vulcan. I am fairly certain that I always will, and I want you in my life in all ways that I possibly could. But I know that you had your reasons for breaking off contact. You wouldn't have done so if it wasn't essential. Things became hectic after the war, and Starfleet changed. The situation we're in now proves that. So I decided years ago that I wouldn't hold it against you suddenly going silent." Victor paused, collecting his thoughts, and took another sip of the tea. The fatigue and exhaustion he felt temporarily put off by the conversation they were having.

"With how we still instinctively act towards each other, I hope that there can still be something that we might even eventually renew our engagement. But I would still want to be your friend even if we don't have anything quite formal as an engagement. You said all those years ago about being glad that I'm not Odysseus. That stuck with me, and I never held anyone to a standard that I didn't hold myself to, and I never held you to a higher standard than myself. I don't believe that I can swoop back in and sweep you off your feet and into my arms as nothing happened. I can promise you, my dearest Enyd, that I will continue to support you, be your friend, and I will always have your back. Also, I should mention, I will, of course, avenge your honor should you ever been unable to do so." He smiles wistfully at that lats part, his eyes flicking to the rapier on his hip. Then he looks back to Enyd, tensing and braced for her words, prepared for her to take some time to muddle things out. Victor wasn't sure how this would play out if she'd reject him and storm out though that seemed unlikely. A part of him hoped that they'd just become friends, but that young hopeful Petty officer still inside of him sincerely hoped that there would be much more. So he sat with bated breath, trying to sip tea casually. All the while imagining what life with Enyd would look like in the near future. All of what he said was true that he dearly wanted to be with Enyd. But those were things that could wait. Here they were in the first hour of a relationship that had a three-year break after nearly seven years of loving long-distance contact.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #15 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Deck 28 | Below Decks lounge | USS Theurgy] attn: @Tae

It was a good thing she hadn’t been in the process of taking a drink when Victor finally spoke; otherwise the man would likely be wearing her drink all over his face. He’d never been one to beat around the bush, and Enyd had always appreciated that about him. To hear him speak so candidly and so lovingly, after the years of silence and lack of explanation for said silence, made Enyd’s head spin, and for a moment, she felt almost nauseous. She kept her facial expression neutral as her body stilled, and she continued to listen to his confession. This man was too pure, too good, too everything, and she didn’t deserve him.

Though she felt a stirring in her gut that warned of an imminent press of tears in her eyes, Enyd remained quiet and dry-eyed for the time being. She needed to get this out without tears, without a fuss, and all in one go. She didn’t want to have to explain this again and again. Just the once, and she knew Victor would never press, just as he wasn’t even pressing now.

“Oh Victor, you have so much love inside you! I do believe if we could somehow bottle that up and perhaps even weaponize it, it would be the strongest weapon in all the galaxy.” Enyd's voice broke, betraying her earlier conviction that she’d do this without tears. She took a bolstering sip of her ale before continuing. “I know you aren’t pressing for an explanation nor demanding I justify myself, and I’m not about to justify either for that cannot happen. However, as your friend, as someone who loved and still loves you in return, I want to tell you what happened three years ago.”

Her voice took on a clinical sound then, as Enyd did her best to recount the events accurately and thoroughly.

“Admiral Anderson approached me in 2376 and asked me to keep tabs on Javec, well namely his associates, as certain members had loose ties with the Directorate. You may or may not remember, but in the early days of post-war Cardassia, the Directorate was but one of the factions actively seeking to destroy the efforts to re-establish a stable centralized government and one that was pro-Federation. Well, nothing much came of that at first. My work with the Castellan and his cabinet was noted, and I was promoted and Javec was,” her voice cracked again and again she took a sip of her ale to smooth her nerves, “wonderful. Anderson would check in from time to time under the guise of ‘old family friends,’ but it really seemed that the tip was for nothing until late 2377. Javec seemed more tired than normal, almost anxious, and the very associates Anderson had told me to keep an eye on, the ones Javec had until then kept at arms distance, began appearing more regularly. I was stupid and tried to believe it was all circumstantial, and we became engaged in 2378. But, my common sense came back when, at the same frequency Javec was coming home late from work there were increased disturbances led by the Directorate in the Capital, that was when I cut ties with you, Victor. I didn’t want you getting mixed up in whatever it was about to happen, and I knew something was going to happen, but I didn’t know how far-reaching it was.”

Enyd’s gaze grew distant then. She was no longer sitting across the table from Victor in the lounge. She was standing in her pajamas at the console of their apartment, her cup of coffee shattered on the ground at her feet as she read the missive intended for Javec. For a moment, Enyd could feel the burn of the spilled liquid against her right foot. Her voice was still cool and near emotional-less when she spoke once more.

“They’d known Starfleet Intelligence had an agent tracking them, and I fell for the bait. They kidnapped me, interrogated me, and…tortured me for weeks. Mostly they played mind games.” Enyd snorted, the first break of emotion, though it was humorless. “But sometimes, the ‘games’ turned physical. They didn’t have to rape me, though I’m sure that was a trick up their sleeve had they needed to use it. What I didn’t realize at the time was that those mind games and torture had not been for me, but for Javec. They broke him through me, and then they made me watch as he assassinated Castellan Ghemor. That’s all they’d wanted. A fall guy for their machinations, and up till I’d gotten myself kidnapped, Javec had been able to keep them at bay and off the ‘scent,’ so to speak.”

Enyd took a steadying breath then. It would not do to let her former self-hatred and guilt bar the telling of this most necessary confession.

“Their intention was to kill me in front of Javec, making it look like he’d killed me, then kill him and plant our bodies to be found by Starfleet days later. They didn’t expect Javec to contact Anderson and tip-off Intelligence with his own confession, along with giving the names of the Directorate operatives and the location where they intended to meet him. When he arrived, Javec played the part of the self-justifying lover to his captured fiance, but I believe what he told then me was true. The Directorate had been blocking his upward movement in the new government and had been blackmailing him with details of his father’s war crimes during the War, details that could have gotten him imprisoned in his father's stead. He kept confessing and confessing, telling me things that made no sense but that kept the wolves satisfied thinking that they’d won. Until at last, Anderson and Intelligence operatives arrived, and all hell broke loose.” She shuddered and closed her eyes, her hands curling up in front of her as they lay on the table. “Javec freed me." The scars from the manacles were still on her wrists, physical evidence she refused to remove. "Then he took the knife intended for my heart to his own. I didn’t even think about it. Didn’t hesitate. I stabbed that Directorate bastard right in the middle of his spooned forehead.”

A peal of laughter elsewhere in the lounge startled her, bringing Enyd safely out of her memories and back into the lounge, sitting peacefully across from Victor. She sighed, shaking her head, and picked up her ale again.

“Javec bled to death in my arms, and I was a mess for quite some time after that. Took a literal walk through the fires of hell on Vulcan, compliments of Anderson, to work through my grief. And then I came here.” Enyd’s eyes traveled up and down what she could see of Victor. “It’s been two years since he died, Victor, and I am better than I was when it happened. Every day, I get a little bit better in fact, but there are parts of me that may never be healed quite right, and I assuredly am not the woman I once was. I’m not saying I don’t want to be your friend, and to share in the love you have for me, because yes, I still love you with so much of the heart I have left beating within my breast. But,” she sighed and gave a shrug, “I’m not certain I’m ready for matrimony or a committed romantic relationship again. Not under present circumstances, at least not with how I’m feeling right now, post-mission.” She winked and tried to levity again. “Maybe if you ask me after I’ve had a good rest and a great cup of coffee with a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast.”

Everything she'd said was a lot to take in, Enyd knew that, and she remained quietly sipping at her ale as she waited for Victor to ingest and respond.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #16 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 28 | Below Decks lounge | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor listened attentively to Enyd recounting her story while sipping slowly on the warm herbal tea. His eyes were flicking over Eynd, constantly watching her mannerism, how she shaped the words, what she was open with, and what she tried to hide. As she weaves the tale of espionage and attraction, it had to be. The way her voice cracked when speaking about Javec. He felt his heart still in his chest for a time, skipping a beat and the barest of shadows across his face then.

As the story continues, and Enyd uses the word 'fiance' to describe someone that wasn't concerning him, he does feel a twinge, something that simply had to be jealousy or the like. He wasn't sure, never having experienced emotion like that before. This feeling of building trepidation was new. None of the other relationships he'd had come close to what he'd felt for Enyd. Victor feels the grip on the mug tightening slightly, and he recognizes a bit of anger then. There was anger at Admiral Anderson or whoever for not telling Victor that his Fiancee was on a deep-cover mission, and then the realization that it would have possibly blown her cover if the wrong ears could hear.

He sat back in his chair, tension building in his shoulders; then, he set the mug down as gently as possible, the ceramic mug clicking sharply against the tabletop. To Enyd, the gaze that he was giving her could best be described as piercing right now. He wanted to ask one question above all else, but he knew that he'd give in to all of the jealousy that came with them if he asked those words. Victor came exceptionally close to asking them, and the words seemed written on his face 'Did you love him as you loved me?' But other than the stern gaze that he was giving his...

My dearest miss Madsen.

That was how he began all of those letters for so many years. The stack that he had from Enyd and that he'd written. Those words that he'd treasured much as he'd treasured his own life. All of what he'd truly felt about Enyd after all of these years. All of what he still felt breaks through the veneer of jealousy and pain. Tears begin to well up in Victor's eyes as he regards Enyd. Victor needed to say so much that he didn't have the words for, so much that that was new and different between them. He needed time to process this and work out the many varied emotions that he was feeling now. For now, though, his gaze softens, and he leans forward slightly, shaking his head.

"In all of the stories, they never say how wild things are on the family of the spies. they never say how bad it can be on whoever they've tied their hearts with." His logic and true feelings had wiped the growing jealousy of Victor's countenance by remembering his feelings for Enyd. What was left now was a bit of pain, more than a bit if he was honest with himself. At the corner of his eye, a tear well up and slowly rolls down his cheek.  It felt like he was on the wrong side of a steamy romance in a spy thriller. Instead of the on screen dalliance that the audience was supposed to fall for, he was the 'one back home' that was never seen

"Anderson should never have put you in that situation, Enyd. You're a diplomat; Anderson should never have used you as a spy." Victor grits his teeth then, barely able to understand what Enyd must have gone through, to have someone that you loved die in your arms like that. The pain must have been unbearable, and it probably still was. He sighs, the gesture rapidly turning into a yawn.

"My apologies, but you're right. This will take some to me for us both to work through. I was a fool to think that we could pick up where we left off. You were used as a literal agent provocateur Enyd, and I can never blame you for that. You survived as best you could, and now you're here." Victor goes silent again, thinking for a long moment, his brow furrowed in thought before holding up two fingers on his left hand.

"I have two questions." Victor shifts in his seat, looking slightly hopeful. If he was going to say goodbye for now, then he was going to do it his way. 

"May I write you like we used to? And secondly, can you tango?" With that second question, Victor stands from his seat and bows deeply, extending a hand to Enyd, hoping that they could share in one dance before they both drifted off again into the night. He wanted as much as he could get from tonight, and be it selfish or not, Victor hoped beyond hope to share one potentially final dance with the woman he still loved.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #17 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Deck 28 | Below Decks lounge | USS Theurgy] attn: @Tae

She’d watched the myriad of emotions play across Victor’s scarred features as she’d revealed the reasons for her silence. The strongest emotions were anger, pain, perhaps jealousy, and yet also a sense of acceptance, nearly akin to hope by the end of her tale. His eyes for a time did not have their usual warmth or jovial essence she was so used to seeing but instead were harder, harsher, and searching as he silently studied her. When a sheen of moisture won out over the hardened pain lurking in his gaze, Enyd knew once again that his was the better character and the kinder heart.

His comment about the pain families go through causes Enyd’s breath to catch, and for a split second, she was a child again watching her grandmother fall into a thousand-yard stare standing on the porch of their ranch house as one of Anderson’s goons told her of her son’s disappearance and assumed death while on assignment. Enyd pressed a hand over her heart as she shifted in her chair, the image of her dear grandmother haunting her. The last she’d spoken to her grandmother had been the day before her kidnapping, and even then, her grandmother had known something terrible was going on but neither of them had been able to speak openly of it. She hadn’t lost both a daughter and a son to the Intelligence department without picking up on the nonverbal cues that things were amiss. By the time things on Cardassia had calmed down, and Enyd had recovered to a stable condition, Anderson informed her of her grandmother’s passing and Enyd’s inheritance of Yew Valley Farms. It pained Enyd to think of the hell her grandmother had living through in her final days, knowing that her granddaughter had been captured by rebels on a distant alien planet and dying before Enyd’s rescue. Perhaps it had been Enyd’s capture that had killed her.

Her voice was husky with emotion, her hand still rubbing over her chest when she responded to Victor’s charge against Anderson, “Diplomats receive much the same training as Intelligence operatives, and in my case, Anderson worked closely with both my parents as they were his operatives, so,” she shrugged, “I have no more anger towards him, Victor. In those early days, after he told me my grandmother died while I was being tortured, I felt a lot of anger. But, in truth, if it wasn’t for Anderson’s machinations, I likely would’ve ruined my career and ended up dead or committed. It was by his hand that I went through the Forge and faced down my demons. Granted, they’re still there lurking and raising their ugly heads from time to time, but,” she shrugged again, “life keeps going with or without the pain, and it is my daily choice to either live it or let it pass me by.”

Her eyes traveled briefly from Victor’s face to move over the other occupants of the lounge. So many of them had experienced so much pain even before the losses they’d suffered on these past missions. Enyd inwardly sighed at the reality that they would experience more pain yet before they came out “the other side” of their present dilemma with the Infested.

When Victor held up two fingers, Enyd refocused her attention on her former fiancé. His questions were voiced from a place of hope, and Enyd felt herself melting in its presence.

“I would like that, Victor. I think us resuming our letter writing would help us both heal, as I recognize I wasn’t the only one put through the wringer these past few years.” Her eyes traveled briefly over his scars and to his hand. His second question and gentlemanly extended hand had Enyd smiling, an unladylike snort emitted before she could stop it. “I haven’t tangoed in years, so prepare your feet, dearest Victor, for they are going to be trampled upon.”

Placing her hand in his, Enyd allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. She knew they looked quite the sight, dressed as they were and likely reeking from their exertion. But Enyd could care less what others thought. This moment was for Victor, for them both, and she would live in this moment for as long as life allowed.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #18 –
CPO Victor van Vinter | Deck 28 | Below Decks lounge | USS Theurgy | Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Victor had seen the look on Enyd's face when she reacted to explaining how he'd felt. And it very nearly broke his heart. She knew, for a moment, he'd forgotten about her parents. So he knew that Enyd knew that pain quite well. There was no response that he could give to that realization, not here and now. And it wasn't as if Victor could deny anything that Enyd was saying just now. He smiled for the briefest of moments before saying anything. What could Victor say to make things feel better, improve the situation, anything that could lift Enyd's spirits verbally? The answer for now; was nothing, so it was with a heavy heart that he stood up, his lips curling into a sad smile, even as he bows to extend his organic hand to Enyd.

"I know, we live our lives and continue as best we can. For now, though.." Victor smiles, taking Enyd's hand and thinking on the short walk towards the holographic dancefloor that was right by the observation windows, his pace steady and even, well aware that in their fanciful attire, they each had a fair share of eyes on them. They did make for quite a sight, the robust build of the Towering Half Bajoran and Enyd's diminutive, almost fae figure. Visually they each made a striking contrast. And with each of them wearing swords, they were sure to cut a rug whatever dance Victor had in mind.

"We'll make it a waltz." Victor nodded then and looked up. "Thea, directional audio, for myself and Miss Madsen. Who Wants to Live Forever, 23rd-century remake waltz version, original vocalist modified to fit the pacing." Victor's voice nearly broke then, this dance that he finally got to ask for after so many tears and sleepless nights. Finally he got to share this with Enyd instead of quietly and privately mourning her presumed passing with the music. An odd smile graces his lips after the request, and he looks down into Enyd's charming eyes, nearly lost in their depths.

While waiting for Thea to modify the song to fit the pacing he'd requested, Victor takes Enyd's hand in Hers and places the other on her upper back, standing close to her, but not uncomfortably so. The height difference would make the waltz awkward, but it wasn't as if they'd let a thing like awkwardness stop the two of them. With a heavy sigh, Victor steels himself for the first few bars of the song, Brian May's high, almost tearful voice opening up the music, and then the powerful tones of Freddie Mercury. The song's message was one that he'd been thinking about for years now, and it was clear that from the moment the music stars and they began to waltz across the dancefloor slowly, he was barely holding back tears.

Being here with Enyd now, dancing like this, to the song that he'd wanted to share with her, wished that he could have from the first time she'd stopped responding to his letters and had been on Cardassia. The sense of loss and abandonment he'd felt in his final few months on the Thunderchild and then having to bury that with the new posting to the Valkyrie program on the Theurgy. All of the emotion he'd needed to feel, all of the pain, grief, and loss was building pressure in the man. Paired with the joy of being reunited even as friends, this was a genuinely astonishing feeling for the normally ebullient man.

The emotions that victor was feeling now were hard to quantify, hard to pin down. His composure is only kept by the fact that this was real, but the very moment that Freddie cuts into the lyrics 'Touch my tears with your fingertips' that the carefully kept composure is lost. And it's a mix of sadness and happy tears that were rolling freely down the right side of Victor's face. Victor had dreamt about a reunion for most of the last three years, and the one that they'd gotten had been far better than he could have imagined. While the actual meeting terrified him on some level, he'd powered through as best he could. Enyd had been nowhere near as outwardly troubled as he could have imagined. For now, though, the day's fatigue had finally caught up to him, and that kept his reactions similarly muted. What he was feeling now would be felt thousand times more acutely once he woke up. At this very moment in time, he had a tearful dance to enjoy with his ex-fiancee, his love, his friend.



OOC: Closest version musically I can find for what I have in my head... but with original vocals of course.

Re: EPI: S [D04 | 0110] The point of the conversation, and thrust of a relationship.

Reply #19 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Deck 28 | Below Decks lounge | USS Theurgy] attn: @Tae

Enyd followed Victor without question or comment and smiled as he took her into his arms. Their height difference had more than once added to the mayhem they often found themselves in, and she was sure it would assist in any stumbling there were about to have on this dance floor as well. She appreciated his change to a waltz versus a tango. As much as she loved to tango, be it without the amount of graceful finesse her grandmother had paid for through her childhood lessons, Enyd agreed a waltz was far more appropriate, given the context.

The first strains of music played, and for a time Enyd was content to stare up at her former fiance, seeing mirrored in his face the pain and confusion and hope she felt as well. But then, finding it difficult to breathe for a moment because of the emotional onslaught, she shifted her hold on his organic hand and pulled herself closer against him, laying her head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat alongside the beat of the song. It was calming, feeling his warmth, hearing his heart, feeling his arms on her body, holding her so gently. Pressed as she was against Victor’s body, she could not see the tears in his eyes, but her own eyes were moist with mirrored ones nonetheless. She didn’t even bother trying to stop them as they fell, staining his shirt on the one side and running down her cheek on the other.

“No matter what happens, Victor,” Enyd spoke against the material of his shirt, unable just yet to tip her head up to stare at him again, “know that I love you, and I never stopped loving you.” She somehow managed to snuggle closer against his body before continuing. “The love I felt for Javec was strong and pure for him, but it differed from the love I felt, and feel, for you.” Finally, Enyd mustered the courage to tip her head back and gazed at her friend with tear-shining eyes.

Though the height made it awkward and caused them both to stumble about like fools, Enyd raised herself on her toes and pulled Victor’s head down to meet her halfway. Pressing a soft, almost whisper of a kiss against his lips, Enyd willed Victor to feel through their touch, and through this moment, her equal desire to keep on living and loving, no matter the form or terminology, as that was all they had left in this chaotic time they were living.

Her fingers tracing circles along the hairline of his neck, Enyd smiled up at Victor. “You are not replaceable, dearest Mister van Vinter. Never forget that.”

Giving him another soft kiss, Enyd shifted back to lean her head once more against his chest, relishing the music, the moment, and the man.

FIN
 
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