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Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

[ Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | Holodeck 07 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

She. Just. Kept. Dying. 

Talia replayed the five previous iterations in her head – trying to remember every mistake. Behind the tint of her helm, she held her eyes closed, just breathing. Evasion and escape; that was the objective. Ambushed on CAP, the lone survivor of her flight, all she had to do was evade long enough for reinforcements – or escape. Yes, she was aware that the survival odds were extremely low. Yes, she was aware that her scores thus far had met the steep curve her peers set in the Wolves, but only just. That wasn’t the point. Meeting the bare minimum of expectations was never enough for her, and if the coming battles were anything like the ones that occurred while she was in stasis – Talia knew she had to do better. Hell, even the Valravn crews did better, she huffed, amused at the petty rivalry.

But she just kept dying.

Six minutes into the first run, she bought it from combined weapons fire from four tail pursuers that boxed her in. Four minutes into her second, her shields and port wing vanished after colliding with debris as she rolled through a kill. Nine minutes into her third, the inertial dampeners failed under fire during a 10g evasive maneuver, crushing her into the control seat before her fighter was destroyed. That one hurt. Eight minutes into her fourth, she strayed into enemy tractor range and was dissected by disruptor fire.

This is why we train, she told herself as she inhaled sharply. It’s about getting used to the fact that death is certain; its about getting knocked down, then getting back up. It’s about learning from your mistakes. She was a slow learner – but she did learn, and so did the program. She could already tell how it had adapted to her reflexes, response times and tactics. Get up, move faster, she remembered from an ancient Robin Hood holo. Robin was fighting, and losing, against a beast of an opponent; his companion shouted at him to do better, to try harder, even in the face of defeat. No shit, Azeem.

Teeth clenched as her dark eyes snapped open, armored hands gripped the stick and throttle assembly tighter. “Run program,” she growled; nostrils flared as she flew back into hell.

[ Thirty minutes later | FAB Locker Room ]

Talia’s eyes were glued to the PaDD in her hands, reviewing her sim flights, doing her best to ignore the aches of her body. She chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes blinked wearily. The pilot was no stranger to pushing her limits, but she could definitely feel the past week wearing down on her. She sat on a bench before her open locker, back hunched as her elbows rested on her knees in a grey body-glove that clung to her body with tenacity. An unruly mane of dark hair spilled over her face and shoulders like a curtain, hiding the view of her surroundings.

Won’t be getting any praise from these runs, she thought bitterly; breaking her eyes from the screen to run a hand across her face. I need a shower, and some food, and a drink. Glancing at the time on the tablet, her lips flattened into thin lines as she frowned. She was due in the gym in an hour. Great. Letting her hands fall limp between her thighs, chin to her chest, Talia groaned out a frustrated sigh as she rolled the tension from her shoulders. It’s leg day, too, she pouted. Lost in her own little world of self-induced misery, Talia didn’t hear the locker room door open or notice she wasn’t alone until she felt someone watching her. Tilting her head up, she peeked out through her bangs as another pilot approached. Rawley. Well, this should be fun, she couldn't help the sarcastic thought.

As far as Talia could tell, they hadn’t exactly hit it off after their first meeting. Having just been thawed, and ill-prepared for the truths she'd learned, Talia had let her emotions get the better of her. Well, I wasn’t exactly listening to what she was trying to say either. That’s on me. Give it another go – can’t hurt to try.

It was a risk, letting people get close; especially now, with everything going on. The way the woman approaching her talked about all the people she'd lost – Talia didn’t want any part of that pain. Maybe she was just trying to help, in her own fucked up way, the thought occurred to her as she inhaled to speak. “Lieutenant,” she nodded subtly to 'Ghost' as she straitened up, doing her best to keep the frustration and fatigue from her face and voice. “What can I do for you?”

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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Sauntering into the locker room, Rawley's brown eyes fell on the new Lone Wolf that sat on the bench - PADD in hand. She smiled to her, showing teeth, and put her helmet inside her own locker. Dressed in full exosuit, she'd just returned from a joint patrol with the KDF, investigating long range sensor pings that might have been Romulan scouts, but they'd found nothing. Which was a bloody shame, since Evelyn had been hoping for some action.

She must have lingered with her eyes on Shadow for too long, lost in thoughts about the lost opportunity of a dogfight, since the woman acted as if Rawley had entered the locker room to speak with her specifically. Then again, perhaps it was just the fact that Talia was easy on her eyes that had made her gaze idle on her. Either way, the question pulled Ghost from her reverie.

"Oh, nothin'," she said, opening the seals on her exosuit in deft and practised succession so that she might eventually get out of it. The staccato hiss of the vacuum seals filled the momentary silence, but as Rawley shed the gloves and the hardshell boots, having to sit down for the latter, she looked at Talia again. "How are ye finding the Valkyrie? I gather ye're running sims by now, eh? All the theory put into practise at last? Listen..."

Pausing to get the hard-shell bodysuit parts of her sweaty body and tossing them into her locker, just having worn panties and a sports bra underneath, Rawley then turned to Talia with one hand on her hip and the other running over her shaved head. "The Mk III is a lot like the Mk II, really. More so than one might think at first glance. I found that when I stopped trying to compensate for the lack of a bloody RIO, and actually let the computer do things for me, ye'll reckon that the warp fighter handles a lot like the Mk II. Shite, it was the same bloody director bringing both the birds to life - Director Rennan Cooper - so ye just have to have a lil' faith."

Having said as much, Rawley pulled her sports bra over her head and dropped it unto the bench. She then reached for her towel inside her bag while hooking a thumb behind the waistline of her panties, tugging them down her legs with her back turned towards the new Lone Wolf. Once they were on the floor, she picked them up and dropped them where the bra was. "Anyway, I'm hitting the shower. Ye have any questions on the Valkyrie?"

Meaning to continue the conversation from the shower stall, Rawley sauntered off towards the closest one with her towel over her shoulder.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #2 –
[ Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

After Rawley's initial response of nothin’, Talia relaxed the tension in her body somewhat, returning to the previous position of resting her elbows on her knees; silently thankful for Rawley's attempt to meet her on common ground. The corner of her lips curled at the shaven headed pilot’s grin; her head nodded as the lieutenant accurately guessed her progress into familiarizing herself with the Mk. III –  but Talia’s eyebrows raised slightly as she listened, surprised that Ghost wore so little under her armor. Must have tougher skin than me, she thought.

Locker room etiquette averted her attention away from Rawley’s nudity however; Talia sat for a moment as the fellow pilot walked past, considering the advice. Huh, maybe I am compensating too much without a RIO. “That makes sense,” she murmured, then stood; flinging her PaDD into the locker, she reached behind her to the zipper at the base of her neck. “Uh, not really,” she answered quietly, pulling the zipper down to the small of her back. “My brain is pretty fried at the moment.”

Been living and breathing manuals and simulations for days now, she huffed, pulling the body suit from her torso and arms with a grimace. Letting it hang at her waist for a moment, she shook her sweat matted hair out while she grabbed a towel from her locker. Then she paused, as her mind sluggishly worked up questions, making her roll her eyes in annoyance. Of course, now you think of questions. “Thanks for the tip though,” she spoke to Rawley’s back, noting the lean play of her muscles, the faded scars, and the dimples just above her surprisingly cute butt. How come I don’t have those?

Face flushing slightly, Talia blinked rapidly, refocusing before she continued. “It handles like a dream, but I think that might be one of my issues. I’ve always had…someone,” she paused to bend at the waist, tugging the body suit down her hips and legs. “Now its just me. I guess…I didn’t consider that.” No wonder my reaction times are slow – I’m trying to do everything myself!

After wrapping up in the towel, covering herself loosely from chest to hips, Talia balled the bodysuit up and left it on the bench to be laundered. Combing the hair from her face with one hand, she sighed as she turned to follow Ghost to the showers. The questions nagged at her, as pride battled the need for help and fear of sounding stupid. Fuck it, might as well ask.

“Actually…um, h-how is your HUD set? I mean, how do you avoid getting overwhelmed with all the data,” she blurted from the stall next to Ghost, after pulling the towel from her body and hanging it outside. “I guess I’m just having difficulty maintaining my envelope with multiple targets specifically,” she admitted as she turned the water on, gasping briefly as the hot torrent drenched her hair. “Anything more than three and I just get fucked,” she added a bit louder over the noise of the showers; frustration coloring her tone. Maybe I blanked the feeds too much? Or is it really as simple as not trusting a computer as much as my own eyes? She groaned quietly, wishing her brain would just shut off for five damn minutes. I need a drink, she shook her head, wiping the water from her face.

Then she frowned, realizing that wasn’t exactly professional language, but then remembered that this was Rawley; the woman swore more than anyone she’d met before. Well…except for Via.

She asked, I answered, Talia shrugged. May be a dumb question for an ace, but I need all the help I can get, she thought bitterly as she leaned back into the heat of the shower. Damn that feels good, she hummed, reaching up with both hands to rake her nails across her scalp as the stall filled with steam.

Her thoughts dwelt on the sim runs and still dreaded her upcoming Qual flights, while the image of Rawley’s backside flitted about in the background. Crowded, to say the least.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #3 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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Enjoying the sensation of the warm water cascading over her post-flight sore muscles, Rawley listened  with a small smile to the movements of her sister wolf outside the stall. She could hear her ask about the HUD settings, and she had some proper advise in that regard. She lathered herself up while she answered.

“Now now, we can’t have ye ‘fucked’, not unless ye want to be. See, if ye’re merely going to rely on yer HUDs in the cockpit, ye are going to fly half-blind. I know there is a curriculum to the simulations, a pace and deliberate method to teach ye the basics first, and ye may not have reached that level in yer training... but ye should rely more on yer TVD settings than yer HUDs.”

Stepping back into the water, Ghost rinsed herself properly in every crook and cranny while she continued to elaborate. “Sure, without a RIO to spot for ye, calling out targets on yer sensor displays, the computer keeps track of them for ye instead and if ye allow it in the settings. It can speak of them sensor contact however much you want it to, but that’s just the basics. What you don’t know - yet - is that it will be easier when you enter the TVD lessons. Will make more sense then, ye’ll see. TVD flying is a game changer with the Mk III, more so than the Mk II. Cleaner, crisper. Better interface, better fps.”

Having finished ahead of Talia since she had no hair to wash, Rawley exited her stall and sauntered over to where the new wolf was at, and she leaned against the door with her shoulder - unashamedly enjoying the foggy view inside. She had her towel in her hand, beaded with water droplets, and enjoyed air-drying for a bit. “Ye got to learn the basics flying first, in case the TVD suite is out of commission, but when ye start using it and rely on the computer to call out the targets all around the Valkyrie - and ye can look through the bloody fuselage and not just the cockpit to spot them - it will all make sense to ye. Promise.”

She tilted her head, admiring the physique of the other woman. She even bit her lower lip for a moment, but made no further comment on what she saw. “Don’t write off the TVD just because of experiences with the fucking Mk II. Give it a chance, and ye’ll love it.”

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #4 –
[ Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Talia had been working the shampoo into her hair while she listened, standing beyond the reach of the water, head tilted back to keep the chemicals out of her eyes. While she appreciated and respected Rawley’s experience, noting the confidence in her tone, it was just another reminder of how much she still had to learn. I was on ice for six fucking months, she reminded herself as she stepped back into the water, rinsing her hair. Now I’m racing against time to catch up. Theurgy wasn’t exactly an ideal training environment either, but it could always be worse. Fuck, it could be so much worse.

As Rawley elaborated on the Through-Visor-Display, Talia lathered herself up, turning her back to the stall door while her mind worked through the tactical advantages her fellow pilot hinted on. Her limited combat experience in the mk. II’s, combined with the relative newness of the TVD itself at the time, resulted in a...mixed opinion of the system itself. The mk. II’s themselves were buggy as hell; constantly needing software patches. The TVD system, still in its infancy before Talia had been interred in stasis, never really lived up to the hype preached by R&D. Probably because it was designed for a more advanced platform, like the mk. III, she reasoned.

Still, what Rawley said made sense. Learn to crawl before you run. After Ghost assured her it would make sense in time, and to trust in the process, Talia just nodded. It didn’t ease her frustrations much, but it was a nice gesture of reassurance that she wasn’t just spinning her wheels in futility.

“I hope you’re right – I’ve been running combat sims outside of Qual training and been getting my teeth kicked in,” Talia sighed, stepping back into the water to rinse her body, turning about again to see the murky outline of her fellow pilot move to stand outside the stall. She’d always been partial to hot showers, what some might even call ‘scalding’; as such, the steam rolling up the stall door occluded much of Rawley’s features from her, but then brown eyes met as one of them bit their lip.

You’re imagining things, Talia shook her head, smirking as she poured some conditioner into her palm. She's not checking you out. Even if she is, so what, she took a step out of the water again, closer to the door to run her hands into her hair. Not like you’ll do shit about it – business before pleasure, right, she sighed again. “I’m not writing anything off, just...feeling the pressure, I guess. I’ll get there,” she answered, keeping her eyes on the outline of her fellow pilot as she rinsed herself again.

Odd turn of events, she frowned at herself as her eyebrows knitted, thinking of the implications of Rawley peeping on her. Where would that go? Engage or abort, she debated. The one time Talia had gotten involved with a fellow pilot, it had ended awkwardly after a night of drunken, meaningless sex. Had better on my own, honestly, she remembered. Rawley didn’t seem like the type to hang around long after the deed was done either, which Talia wasn’t sure was such a bad thing. Not a very fair assessment on someone you barely know, she chided herself as she turned the shower off.

Pausing to huff a weak chuckle at herself, at the audacity of such thoughts with everything else going on, Talia ran a hand over her face before opening the stall door. Sure enough, there was Ghost. Talia smirked at her as she reached for her towel. “Subtle,” she teased, dabbing her face and chest as she walked past. Don’t look, don’t look, don’t – but of course she looked. The pink shade of Rawley’s lips matched her nipples perfectly; the scars she wore somehow making her even more attractive, complimenting her roguish personality. Yep, time for a drink, she told herself as she wrapped up mid-stride, breaking her eyes away. “So how was CAP, see anything interesting,” she asked over her shoulder, unable to keep the knowing smirk off her face as she added just a bit more sway to her hips.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #5 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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When Talia stepped out of her shower stall, Rawley had to step aside for her. She took her sweet time with it though, smiling leisurely as she let Shadow pass her by. She thought about answering the sarcastic comment about her subtlety, but she let it slide, instead enjoying the show before the towel stole it away, smirking as she did while she began to saunter towards her own locker. The question about the patrol she’d returned from made her chuckle.

“Than this? Nah,” she said and tossed her towel unto the bench in front of her own locker. She draped an arm on top of the open locker door, and ran a hand over her shaved head and neck. “I mean, the KDF are on fucking high alert, and they have a lot of ships out there. CAP for us, now, as we orbit Qo’noS, t’is just for bloody show. It’s more or less political, solidifying this alliance with the Klingons more than it actually makes a fucking difference in catching any Romulan scouts. After the months spent at Aldea, when we shared patrols with the KDF, we’ve gotten quite used to flying with the Klingons already, so this? It’s rather fucking boring.”

With a lopsided smile, Ghost then tilted her head, one arm draped over her locker door and the other resting on her hip. She was eyeing up Shadow fully now, and decided it was time to address her stellar physique. “Ye know what? Even me knowing yer just out of stasis, ye can’t fucking tell. Ye push yerself bloody hard at the gym, and it shows. Ye look fucking fantastic.”

Rawley was more into strength than hyperthropy, doing some power lifting on the side, but she wasn’t that serious about it. With her diminutive frame, her numbers weren’t too impressive, but compared to others of her stature? Yeah, she supposed she was pretty strong. This wolf sister here though? She looked like she’d spent more time in the gym than Ghost had spent in bars, and that was saying something.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #6 –
[Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Talia loitered before her locker, her body still wrapped in a towel, waiting for Rawley to pass; strangely enough, at least for her, there wasn’t anything awkward about the exchange so far – verbally or not. It wasn’t anything new, being on the receiving end of glances and looks. It seemed like everyone on the Diamondback did it at one point or another. Some were more welcome than others, of course, but it happened. Few were as unashamedly direct with it as Rawley, however; she wasn’t quite sure how to react to it. Talia chewed her lip as she mused on it.

Things were different there. I had Mumbles, and we practically ran the gym, she thought with a pang of melancholy for her former RIO as Ghost sauntered behind her. She listened half-heartily as the lieutenant elaborated on her patrol, reaching into her locker to grab a bottle of moisturizer. Squeezing a dollop into her palm, she smirked at Ghost’s choice of words as she half-bent and half-lifted one leg, rubbing it into her skin. “Hey, at least you’re flying,” she chuckled.

Switching to her other leg in the pause that followed, Talia caught the grin in Rawley’s voice as she complimented her body; it didn’t sound forced or fumbled, like so many weak attempts to breach her focus in the gym. Rawley simply stated it in her confident tone, like it was just matter-of-fact. Talia bit her lip as she straitened, hard enough to show her dimples. “It’s just a by-product of my masochistic tendencies,” she shrugged, chuckling at her own deflection. “Shrink on the Diamondback tried to tell me it was unhealthy, that it unbalanced my life,” she laughed as she pulled a pair of standard-issue panties up her legs. “Its just about the only thing keeping me sane,” she added with a sigh, pulling the towel from her body as she bent again, flicking her wet hair up off her back to be wrapped up. Once that was done, she went back to the lotion, rubbing it into her the rest of her bare skin.

A glance at Ghost stretched into a look of several heartbeats as their eyes wandered over each other, tugging the smirk on her face into a grin. Still, the voice in her head warned her that flirting with this obvious attraction probably wasn’t a good idea, if that was really what it was. Abort, abort, abort, it whispered to her.

Fuck you, she laughed at it. New life, new chances.

“I think we both know we look good naked, LT,” she bit her lip again as she shrugged. “But if you ever want a proper workout, let me know,” added with a smirk.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #7 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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The brief account about the counsellor on the Diamondback had Rawley both raise her eyebrows and chuckle. She shook her head quietly. Talk about a bad therapist, not even knowing that exercise is awesome for mental health. Fuck, even I know that. I guess that's what you get from bloody LCARS tappers these days, who never breaks a sweat.

While Evelyn's compliment was met with a deflection initially, the other Lone Wolf seemed more than pleased to let Rawley linger with her gaze, almost putting on a show by moisturising herself in the fashion she did. That little grin of hers told Ghost a lot as well, so when Shadow made her invite, Ghost couldn't help herself.

"Oh, ye wanna exercise? I know some fun activities that can burn 500 calories an hour," she said with a smirk, letting Talia fill in the blanks while she fished out a pair of standard issue panties from her locker and pulled them on. Having done so, she stepped away from the locker and came to lean against the one right next to Shadow's, letting her brown eyes wander all the way up to hers. She tilted her head and grinned mischievously. She let her voice drop a little. "Should that be the case... I hope ye´ve been using that adductor machine so ye can crush my head between yer thighs."

Not the kind to bandy about, Rawley hoped she wasn't coming on too strong for the other Wolf, but be that as it may, she'd always believed in an honest and upfront approach - consequences be damned.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #8 –
[Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Fun activities, huh, Talia smirked as she held Rawley's gaze. Even to her limited understanding of the subtleties of body language, she felt confident enough in the signals Ghost was broadcasting to connect the proverbial dots. Well, that just happened, she blinked as her hands loosely cupped her lotion-slicked bust.

Her head tilted of its own as she watched Rawley hoist a pair of panties up shapely pale legs, wondering if they felt as good as they looked. Damn it all, she bit her lip, forcing her eyes away to fish the gym bag out of her locker while Ghost approached in her peripheral. Here it comes, she droned silently, expecting a playful dismissal or quick mercy-killing and the dutiful follow-up excuse of rules and regulations; all the bullshit Talia fed herself on the daily. Turning to face the music, she watched Rawley’s eyes make their slow ascent up her body. Hm, she hummed faintly, lips curled.

Instead, Talia got a husky quip about her thighs crushing Rawley’s head, again. She remembered the offhand comment from their first meeting; how she didn’t appreciate it for what it was at the time, even as she chuckled now. This is what happens after a two year drought, she thought, as her imagination leapt into action. Dropping her bag onto the bench, she pulled the wet towel from her hair as she blinked at Ghost, shaking it out with one hand while the other rested on a cocked hip.

Fuck it, return fire, she grinned right back.

“Well,” she drew the word out as she tilted her head back, “today is leg day, and here I was thinking about skipping,” she bit her lip as she grinned, shifting her weight to widen her stance. Her free hand dipped to gesture at the group of tensed muscles at her inner thigh, offering a clear view. Dark eyes locked on Ghost’s then; tapping her fingers on the smooth, bare skin bordering her panties. “But I guess these could use some attention, huh,” she teased, tilting her head. “What do you think,” she smirked, “gym and sleep…,” her voice dropped to a whisper as her fingers toyed with the band of her panties, “or take this to my place?"

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #9 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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Rawley let out a smoky chuckle at the invite to the other Wolf's quarters, happy to have got the signals Shadow sent right. Her eyes lingered on the indicated area that needed some work, and she tilted her head, raising her eyes to look at the other woman from underneath her eyebrows.

"Oh, I think I can squeeze ye in, dear. Help you burn them calories," she said, and she leaned forward, knowing quite well how close she got to Talia in doing so, but besides that, she fished the bottle of lotion out of Talia's bag. "Would ye do me a favour, though? I seem to have forgotten mine... and I think it's in our mutual interest that I don't dry up."

Handing the lotion over, Rawley turned her back to the other Lone Wolf, implying that she might offer to rub some lotion on her. She watched Shadow over her shoulder with a smirk, knowing that she was teasing her even more than she might need to. The other woman had already invited her to her quarters, but Rawley had seen an opportunity and seized it without a second thought. Sure, they were in a public space - or at least a shared one - but that also made it more tantalising.

"Ye should know," she said, feeling like honesty was always the best option when it came to matters such as these, "I am only playing around, but I was thinking ye might enjoy the game. I am in no place for something serious though, so if that's what ye're after, I may be a bloody disappointment."

She reached behind herself and put her hand on the woman's strong thigh, innocently rubbing the skin with her fingertips. She gave her a grin over her shoulder. "I ken ye should know before rather than after."

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #10 –
[Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Talia held her ground as she watched Ghost’s reaction to the offer, heart pounding in her ears as the other woman brushed past her to dig around in the gym bag. A hand raked through her slick hair to keep herself occupied; it took a surprising amount of self-control not to pin the other woman to the wall right there. Tease, she shook her head in amusement, but figured she deserved it.

When the shaven-haired minx handed her the lotion bottle Talia couldn’t help biting her lip, especially after the honesty in her words. Perhaps because of them. It was refreshing, and a turn-on; easing her fears of what could potentially become a huge mistake. So when Rawley's fingertips grazed across her thigh, sending minute trembles through the corded muscles there, she bit her lip even harder to keep from groaning. Okay, keep it together, shit!

“No disappointment here,” she breathed, as the back of her nails grazed down Rawley’s spine. “And thanks for the heads up,” she tilted her head as she squeezed the lotion into her palm, eyes lingering on those sexy ass dimples. “I assumed as much,” she smirked. “But it’s nice to know what this is and what it isn’t. I’m... not trying to make it complicated,” she added bluntly, but honestly. “But I never allowed myself to play this game,” she continued, as her hands rubbed together to warm the lotion, “I mean, sure, I had chances. But I always told myself that I didn’t have time, or made up some bullshit excuse. I've always been that way, just…working from one task to the next.”

Then Earth happened, and I woke up here, the thought laced through her desire-addled brain, making her hesitate. “I guess I’m just trying to live a little - crack the bottle open a bit,” she whispered, as her fingertips and palms rested on warm skin that wasn’t her own.

Starting near the base of Rawley’s neck, lotion-slick palms slowly slid across her shoulders, then arms, as Talia let herself enjoy the simple act of touching someone else, and being touched in return. The more she focused on that simple sensation, the hotter the fire inside her burned. Her cheeks were hurting from grinning like an idiot already.

Closing the distance between them as her hands slid up from grazing Rawley’s thighs, Talia smirked as she pressed herself into the other woman’s back; her hands sliding across slender hips and abs, fingers splayed. “That okay with you,” she whispered with a bit of snark, before pulling back to finish what she started.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #11 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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Enjoying the feeling of Shadow's hands upon herself, how she distributed the lotion and massaged her back muscles a the same time, Ghost let out a low hum and tilted her head a bit - listening to the other woman's voice. The light echo inside the locker room gave almost an ethereal quality to the confession, emphasising the sensuality of her voice. She couldn't help but chuckle lightly, however, when the other Lone Wolf brought up what she'd told her in her quarters on the day she'd been thawed.

To emphasise her point, Rawley took a healthy swig from the whiskey, looking Shadow in the eye. "Bottles are to be emptied. More fun that way, so 'bottle up' all ye want, but let those who care and want to help ye have a taste now and again, ey?"

Winking at the woman in a teasing but warm fashion, Rawley turned for the door and left. "Cya around, princess!"

Indeed, it seemed like Talia wasn't bottling up her emotions any more, daring to venture as far as she had with Evelyn. Her lips pursed, however, with a deep breath, when she felt the other woman's skin against her own back - the way her hardened nipples scraped against her lotion-covered back if ever so briefly. The teasing manner in which Talia has run her fingers over her scarred abdomen made Evelyn raise her left arm and reach behind her own head, catching the back of the other Lone Wolf's neck before she had managed to distance herself too far. With her hold, Evelyn held Talia against herself, and she turned her head a little with a grin.

"I dare say it is more than okay...." she murmured teasingly, having enjoyed the other woman's embrace quite a lot, only wishing that she'd gone farther. "So don't stop, princess..."

Making her request ever so clear, she bent her knees a bit, and began to rub her back ever so little against Talia. Her right hand was still on the stronger woman's thigh, but she reached a bit farther, so that she might scrape her nails lightly against her buttock. Lips pursed, Ghost felt her heart beating quicker, quite enjoying herself and this new-found company in the squad. The notion came that she might not wish to get close to the new pups in the squad, since they might all die any day, just like the rest of them had...

...but she refused to listen to that notion, pushing it away angrily, since she wanted to feel alive.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #12 –
[Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Talia's dark eyes fell to slits as Ghost held her in place with a pleasant hum, her tongue darting out in a quick swipe over her bottom lip. Where before there had been nervous excitement, the thrill of indulging in a bit of rule breaking, now was all together different. Head tilted back into the palm at her neck, she let her eyes linger on those pursed lips, wondering what they tasted like.

‘So don’t stop, princess…’

Mmm, that look – it was all the encouragement Talia needed. The fingers and palm of her left hand returned to Rawley’s abdomen as she gently wiggled, squishing and rubbing herself into the woman’s back. The hand on the lieutenant's flat belly slowly crept north, while the nails of her right trailed down the woman’s shoulder in a teasing tickle; enjoying the sight and sensation of the body against her, how it reacted to her touch.

“Just getting started,” Talia purred playfully into Ghost’s ear as she felt the other pilot’s nails graze across her ass, forcing her to bite her lip again. Her hand continued its sojourn, sliding between the other woman’s breasts, feeling the pounding rhythm there, to rest on the far side of Rawley’s slender neck. Squeezing their bodies together even more, she let her breath preempt the warmth of her mouth, as lips captured the minx’s earlobe with a throaty chuckle.

Meanwhile, Talia’s right hand had not been idle; after trailing down a shoulder and grazing Rawley’s oblique, she let it rest on a hip as her lips found their target. While her lips and tongue played, that hand wandered down to graze across the woman’s outer thigh, then halted to reverse course, moving up in a slow, smooth motion along the sensitive inner side, pausing to squeeze gently.

Talia let her teeth graze Rawley’s earlobe before releasing it, letting her lips peck slow kisses down the woman’s neck. In the back of her mind, she was aware how this would look if someone happened to interrupt; that knowledge didn’t stop her – nor did the fact that she was doing the exact opposite of what she told herself not to do. The die was cast, consequences be damned; she hadn’t felt this alive in a very long time. So much for keeping things professional, she grinned between kisses, planting a playful nip at the pulse beneath her lips.

“And don’t call me princess,” she whispered huskily; raising her hand from Rawley’s throat to cup the side of her face. With a gentle pull as she leaned in, Talia teased the lieutenant's soft, pouty bottom lip with nips and a flick of her tongue before taking it between her own; humming as her palm settled against the panties and heat between pale legs.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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With Talia's hands roaming her skin, coating it with lotion, Evelyn let the pace of the moment take her breath. Whilst she had been breathing deeply to begin with, she couldn't help how her breaths became more shallow by the second.

"No?" she asked coyly when told not to call her princess, and she chuckled deep down in her throat while their dance continued - her breath mixing with the sweet-tasting woman's. "Making ye squeal like a girl would have been my crowning achievement. I guess I'll settle for raiding yer castle..."

Those teasing strokes of fingers and tongue, of lips and teeth against her ear, made Ghost just as bold with her lower hand. While it had lingered on Shadow's backside for quite a bit, she chose to be just as bold as the other Lone Wolf. Feeling Talia's hand betwixt her legs made her pay back in kind, running her fingers to the front and then sliding down the waistline of her panties. She did so while leaning her head back against the other woman's shoulder, letting the sensations take her mind for a ride.

"I'll swing by yer quarters i-in twenty minutes," he said, breath hitching for a moment before she could continue. She grinned, eyes closed. "And w-we'll finish what we've started..."

Pulling her fingers free, she slowly turned around to face Shadow, and opened her eyes with a mischievous grin. "Sounds like a plan?"

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #14 –
[Ens. Talia Al-Ibrahim | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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For a moment, everything seemed to just fade away – the lockers surrounding them, the constant thrum of the ship and the noise of the launch deck – even the ever present voices in her head; all the worries and doubts, the idiotic, hurtful things she told herself every day. Talia’s mind blanked as she let herself go, let herself just...feel, for once, in that brief moment.

Mmm, feels pretty fucking amazing.

She felt Rawley melting at her touch – the woman’s body responded to every subtle movement in delicious shutters of skin, muscle and breath; how her knees weakened and hips jerked with the slow, deliberate pressure of Talia’s palm between her legs, the way her breath hitched as Talia’s lips and hand roamed her body. What may have started as a game – a flirtatious test of boundaries, perhaps – had now escalated into something else entirely.

Talia bit her lip as she grinned at the veteran Wolf’s murmured words, her own hips gyrating in reply to Ghost’s teasing touch; a low hum in her throat as the woman spun to face her, letting her nails graze across soft skin, unwilling to break contact. She held that mischievous gaze as her hands smoothed over the taunt lines of Rawley’s upper thighs and hips, fingertips toying with the band of panties there before closing in playfully, pushing into her.

Talia’s body moved against hers in a slow, subtle sway of hips and chest as she brought her lips teasingly close to Ghost’s. “Twenty minutes,” she whispered through a smirk, giving that irresistible bottom lip a final flick of her tongue, “then we’ll see who squeals first,” she added with a grin. Reluctantly, she stepped sideways, letting her nails trail over the woman’s abs with a sigh, then ran her hands through her long, tangled hair. Whew...okay...right. Clothes, she told herself, taking a deep breath to refocus.

Breathing out as she sat next to her bag on the bench, still smirking at Ghost, Talia pulled her sports bra on with a chuckle; amused at herself for allowing things to progress as far as it had. There was a lesson here, she knew, somehow. Something her uncle had said, many years ago, to a young girl who took herself entirely too seriously because life had dealt her some shit cards: ‘Don’t let life turn you bitter, darling. There’s more to it than pushing yourself endlessly to achieve whatever you think you want. Stop and smell the gardens – meet new people – live, love, make mistakes! It’s okay! We are meant to end this life exhausted, bruised, battered; but filled with pride knowing it was one hell of a ride.’ Talia was a slow learner – but she was finally getting the lesson.

Pulling her leggings up to her knees before standing, she arched a brow at Ghost, enjoying the view. “You bringing the whiskey this time,” she smirked, turning slightly so the fellow pilot could watch as she pulled the tight leggings up the curves of her ass.

Re: Day 12 [1800] Crackin' Bottles

Reply #15 –
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Showers | FAB Locker Room | Fighter Assault Bay | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Dumedion
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"Deal," Rawley said with a throaty chuckle, having left Talia's embrace and sauntered over to her locker.

She wasted little time retrieving her off duty apparel, comprised of loose cargo pants that rode low on her hips when she buckled them. She stuck her feet into her boots and eventually pulled her black tank top on. After getting her flight jacket out, she nudged the locker shit with her hip. With no keys needed, the chirp told her it was sealed. She lingered long enough to trade another look with Shadow, looking forward to their little rendezvous.

I sure am warmed up for it, she thought, feeling how her body was roaring to continue what they'd started. Teasing the woman one last time, she put the fingers that had visited her to her lips and blew her a little kiss.

"Cya soon..."

The she left the locker room and headed for the turbolift, a grin on her lips.

- FIN
 
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