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Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy]

@Ellen Fitz

Round abouts 0630 the same day

To: Lieutenant Enyd Isolde Madsen
From: Lieutenant Junior Grade XamotZark zh’Ptrell

Hi Enyd!

I didn't think playing message tag would be fun, but I certainly enjoyed it.  After everything I've managed to finally get my hands on a holodeck this evening.  Don't ask how and I won't tell.  Anyway, I've got the fitting and dressing program good to go, so come on down to holodeck 3. 

Hugs and kisses,

Zark.

P.S Bring the tik’leth, you'll need it.


Present time
Unlike the start of her visit to the holodeck yesterday, there was no confusion. no hesitation in the blue-green eyes as she stared out from the top of Dunnottar Castle.  It was a wonderful re-creation.  The real Dunnottar Castle was a ruin with only the walls standing, but some enterprising architectural historians had managed to piece together a facsimile of the design, which is why the Celtic spirited Andorian was enjoying a brisk coastal breeze that blew her silvery hair back as she stared out into the North Sea.  It made the environment cooler, but with just a white blouse and her kilt on, the temperature felt right.  She wanted to enjoy the scene more and breath in the salt air, but the Andorian had been looking forward to this day and she turned on her heels with a smile and headed through a set of dark heavy doors that led down to the turret to the upper floors.  The Andorian's mind was blessedly empty in the moment as her shoes clacked against stone were the only sound that accompanied the whistles of wind that blew through the windows as she made her way through the panelled hallway to the Great Hall where the day's festivities were going to take place.  Torch lit braziers caused light to dance to and fro within the hallway, lending an ancient, yet rustic edge to the old castle.  Overall, it was a hauntingly beautiful recreation and since the time of the recreation was synced with that of the ship, the pale gold and rose of the setting sun began to spill into the hallways adding to the kaleidoscope of colours.

It took about 10 minutes to arrive in the large room with a team of kilt makers and a roaring flame in the fire place, a primal and welcome sight even if it did raise the temperature a bit.  Yet, welcome as it was, the Andorian stood in the door way, arms akimbo as she twitched her lips for something was missing.  The kiltmakers in jackets and kilts busied themselves moving about preparing materials and tools to measure the guest of the evening.  The mannequins were set aside with various styles to choose from. A table  with a flower patterned pot of tea and a tray of sandwiches and some finger foods were set on a small table was set.  The extravagantly large candle chandeliers were lit.  The armour suits gleamed as did the various bladed weapons and shields that adorned the dark Teak.  The footmen stood by the door waiting. Yet something was missing.  It wasn't really hard to guess and Zark raised a hand summoning a dark bearded man who moved toward her with a dignified dispatch.  "Clyde, see if Ms. Madsen has arrived yet.  I'm pretty sure she should be here by now."  The muscular bald, blue eyed, black bearded man nodded and exited the hall in search of a chaos attracting diplomat.

Zark took a moment to approach the sitting area where she picked up a shining dark red scabbard.  The colour wasn't from paint or any laminate materials since one could see the grains.  No, it was well fashioned and formed cherry wood that had been stained.  It was very symbolic touch that despite the implement being a weapon of war, Enyd was a diplomat and wore command red because of it.  In many ways, there was so much meaning in one implement for the shirt she wore on duty hid the steel nerve and sharp mind that made up such a fundamental part of who she was.  The blue smile turned sad for a moment.  She would have liked to commission one of the blade makers on Qo'nos to make this piece; yet she felt the sword smiths would have been unable to resist putting a Klingon flair on the blade that had taken quite a bit of research for Zark to figure out how to design.  Blue hands grabbed the leather of the hilt and pulled it out to reveal an engraved gold steel blade.  She had to smirk since the design was ancient, but many of the materials were modern.  Tritanium, not steel, was the order of the day, and getting that engraved had been a near nightmare in itself, and working the titanium oxide dusting bonding had been another challenge.  It had been a good thing the Chief Engineer was willing to help out with the little project when he'd heard who it was for.  Closing the blade back into the lacquered wooden hilt, the medico set the gift down and took a moment to stoke her metabolism with a smoked salmon sandwich as she made her way to the roaring fire place and stared into the flame hoping it would give her some answers.  "Enyd, where are you?" she asked the writhing white and orange as old oracles had once done from ages past when seeking answers to lifes imponderables.

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Patched up from the chaos-survived of her “tour” at the Orion Outpost Enyd was late. If things hadn’t gone sideways at the Shrine, and she, Mia, and Amanda hadn’t ended up as a key feature in the Orion’s entertainment schedule for the early afternoon, Enyd likely would’ve been early to the holodeck and awaiting Zark. Instead, she’d left Zark waiting for over half an hour because of the delay and arrived at the holodeck door panting. Hair plaited tightly in twin braids down the side of her head, Enyd was dressed in a pair of form-fitting black trousers tucked into black ankle boots with a black tank top tucked into her trousers, the outfit completed by the black sheath she had strapped to her back that held the precious tik’leth she’d nearly forgotten to bring—yet another reason for her delay.

After catching her breath, Enyd straightened her shoulders and entered the holodeck. Only her breath whooshed out of her in surprise at what she found inside. Zark had gone beyond expectation for this endeavor, endearing the Andorian woman to Enyd. Enyd had traveled many places on Earth but could say with definite assurance that she’d never been to a place quite like what she was staring at now, mouth agape in wonderment. It was likely she would’ve lost more time standing and staring if it hadn’t been for a kilted man with a dark beard coming from the castle and ushering her inside.

Enyd was deposited in the Great Hall where her friend already awaited her, the attention to holoprogram detail exploding before her eyes.

“You could probably retire famous and rich just for making holoprograms, Zark. This place is gorgeous!” Enyd announced her presence with the praise, smile bright as she approached. “I’m sorry I’m late. You won’t believe the fiasco I lived through down at the Orion Outpost. If I didn’t have fellow survivors in the likes of Mia and Amanda, I doubt anyone would believe what happened.”

Enyd crossed the room and poured herself a drink. She wasn’t interested in getting drunk but a few drinks to help her tell the tale without falling into a heap of giggles seemed necessary. Enyd took to perusing the food options and sipping at her drink as she explained in unexaggerated detail the upheaval on Qo’Nos that had delayed her arrival. By the time she finished, Enyd had drunk her way through three cups of the readily available grog and nibbled an entire plate of goodies. Belly full of food and warmth, and heart lighter having shared the tale of her chaos with a good friend, Enyd faced Zark fully as she let out a heavy sigh.

“Sorry, I had to get all that out before we started in with the program further. So, what’s first?” Enyd pulled the sheath from her back and laid the blade on the nearest table, pointing to it, “And why do I need to the tik’leth?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #2 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

As the story progressed, Zark forgot about the tea and took the pitcher of grog from the butler.  The Andorian stared, enraptured as she drank and helped refill the venting diplomat's cup.  Her sense of incredulity continued to grow with each passing moment as simple shrine tour morphed into something else.   The main break came when Enyd described how she tried to negotiate her way out of the predicament and the Andorian almost slapped her friend across the face for effectively pimping out to the two teal shirts she'd been with.  Describing the alternative of performing a strip tease was more than enough to stay the medicos more combative tendencies as her mouth dropped and she gaped at the show the human would have given. With the pitcher rapidly draining and her temperature coming up nicely, Zark put her hand up and Clyde made his way over just as Enyd finished her tall tale.  "Clyde, a bottle of Glenfarclas Galactic Highlands with two glasses, ice and water please."  The Black bearded man nodded and left to retrieve the requested drink and accessories.  The medic linked her fingers together the put combined index fingers to her lips as filed away Enyd's question and stared at her friend for a moment considering what was the appropriate response to such a tall tale. 

The Zhen physically nodded and stood to make her short way across to the diplomat's chair.  Zark smiled sweetly before grabbing the brunette by her shirt straps and yanking her up.  The security officer worked out a lot, and used the muscle mass without thought in lifting the other woman off the ground.  A small part of the Andorian's mind was surprised she didn't tear the clothing during the lift, but that wasn't important as she gave the surprised friend a good shake and snarled mightily at the errant human as she practically screeched.  "Enyd! Don't you dare go off and do something like that and leave me behind!  You hear!"  Zark was being passionately irrational and knew it since she couldn't follow the chaos magnet around all the time and protect her from everything.  "That was ridiculous! Foolhardy! And you could have been killed or worse!  Sold into slavery!" Having spent her incredulous fury, the lithe yet strong woman dropped her friend to the ground and frowned hard before grabbing her in a massive hug and tried to squeeze the life out of her voice dropped in sympathy.  "It's not fair, you don't deserve any of that and why does life insist on treating you like that?"  Zark didn't know how long she held the brunette, but it was long enough for the Scotch to arrive and for Clyde to discreetly clear his throat.  "Your drinks mum"  Zark slowly let go of Enyd as she left her hands on the human's shoulder.   "I'm not going to apologize for being worried over your safety, and I am seriously considering implanting you with a subdermal communicator and a Veridian patch so we can track you down any time."

Zark took a deep breath to calm the moment before repeating herself for the little good it would do. "Seriously, you run into trouble, you come find me and I will blast us a way out." The blue head tilted from side to side for a moment as her eyes narrowed at the human. "You got Mia Dunne in trouble on the trip?  Aiyiyi. No telling how that's going to affect her going forward.  She seemed so gentle the first time I met her.  Then again, she did just wake up from stasis.". 

Like hitting a switch, Zark quickly changed her mood back to happy for the occasion as she made her way back to her chair. "Anyway, that's not the point!. You're here to get fitted, and I'll explain why you need the tik’leth later."  Zark planted her butt in the seat and turned to face Enyd.  "First, a little history.  It wasn't easy to dig through all the clan migrations, but I spent a good afternoon doing it.  Best information available says that Clan Grant is the Scottish clan that eventually settled Montana, so that would be your clan.  Next, was your last name.  That one proved more interesting since it has a long history. Turns out it was the name for an ancient Anglo-Saxon clan in England before it's wider migration."  The excited medic turned historian leaned on the thick chair arm as she got closer her friend like passing a secret.  "So you have two long lineages to draw from.  First off though, a gift."

Zark turned around to grab the blood red grained scabbard off the table and passed it to Enyd with a smile.  "I did all the research, but Chief Arnold helped program the parameters and used the industrial replicator in engineering to make it.  He actually wanted to make this in a forge for you, but I told him there wasn't time.  The man is stubborn though and I had to point out I needed this in a few days and tritanium work is done through the replicator anyway.  He grumbled quite a bit after." Zark shrugged away the difficulty as her fingers pointed out the various points of symbolism.  "Still, he did what he could and he welded on your family crests hear the guard.  There's the Burning Hill on one side, a signal for the Highland clan to rally for action.  And if you flip it over, there's the crossed axes with the knight's helm of Madsen. A very martial house by all accounts."  The smile turned to a smirk as she droned on over the other details.  "Now, the crossed white and black of the handle came two different colours of leather, but it was related to something called an Belted Galloway or an Oreo cow.  The computer said it's a pretty unique breed to Montana." Despite gibbering off on the minutae, Zark unconsciously blushed at the next part.  "And well the gold binding thread is uhmmmm for your well good heart.  Anyway the cannelure is a pretty nasty design feature, so I had it filled with an industrial emerald on one side, and an industrial sapphire on the other, you know cause we have each other's backs and I think that's what gave Chief Arnold the biggest set of conniptions, what?" The Andorian asked the human as she came to an aburpt halt.

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #3 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

To say she was surprised by Zark’s outburst would put it mildly. She’d had Andorian friends before, and while she knew there was as much diversity among Andorians, if not more, as there were with humans, Enyd had never befriended an Andorian who would have ingested the tale quite as Zark had. Far from being offended or off-put by the scowling chastisement, Enyd was stunned at the amount of affection Zark had for her. She’d had her notions that the woman found Enyd attractive and, under other circumstances and Enyd’s own change of orientation, would have perhaps enjoyed seeing how things went romantically. This was not arrogance on the part of Enyd, just pure deductive reasoning. And this outburst from Zark further solidified Enyd’s growing theory.

Crushed in Zark’s arms as she was, Enyd could only draw a comforting hand down her friend’s back.

“To be fair, the tour was a supposed guarantee safe tour. There was no intent on my part, or my companions, to end up dancing naked for the Orions. And that dance WAS the safer alternative. Given our options at the time, perceived or obvious, a stalling tactic until the tour could catch up to us and ‘rescue’ us further was the only trick I had up my proverbial sleeve since, by that point, I had no sleeves.”

Enyd was chuckling as Zark released her from the fierce embrace, taking the time to lightly pat Zark’s cheek once the Andorian’s face was made available.

“I wouldn’t be against that Veridian patch or permanently installed communicator. Things have always been chaotic for me, and they just seem to have gotten worse since I was posted to Theurgy. But, for as frustrating as that may be, I think that may be why I’m good at my job. I always have contingency measures and adapt and often respond far more rapidly than others. Comes from years and years of practice.”

Enyd’s lips quirked upwards in amusement when Zark’s mood switched tracks and she was the same light-hearted minion Enyd had last encountered. She nodded along with Zark’s sharing, eyes widening and lips parting in amazement at all the right cues. Enyd was both impressed and thankful for the amount of time and effort Zark had put into this endeavor. It further connected to her theory on Zark’s affections, but it also was chalked up to the reality that the blue-skinned officer was her friend and a dear one at that.

“My grandmother spoke mostly of our Danish background, lamenting that an ancient machine gun was named after a family member as being one of the reasons her son had decided to go into Starfleet Intelligence. I’m impressed with all this research, Zark. Thank you very much! It is such a delight to know about the connections beyond the Danish bloodline.”

Enyd’s eyes widened, a hand coming up to cover her surprise gasp when Zark presented the blade and explained its origins and maker. Enyd made a note to give Frank both a hug and a shoulder massage to thank him for his part in this endeavor. The attention to details did not surprise Enyd, not knowing that both Zark and Frank were involved in the blade's making. Her hands itched to hold the blade, but Enyd forced herself to slowly accept it when it was offered, not wanting to hurt Zark in her own enthusiasm to take hold of the beauty.

“You two are such dear hearts!” After glancing over the blade, noting the things Zark had pointed out more closely, she turned bright gaze to Zark and added. “You get a kiss for this!” With that as her only warning, Enyd leaned forward and smacked a quick kiss directly to the Andorian’s lips. Pulling away, Enyd lightly tweaked Zark’s nose before hoisting the sword higher and grinning. “When do I get to use this?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #4 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark knew she shouldn't have expected anything else, but it was too much like a bee being drawn to honey for the brief touch on her lips was like an irresistible pull on her body for something deeper, more passionate; and she fell straight into her devilish friends trap.  The Andorian's face pinched as her nose was grabbed and given a gentle tug.  Her surprise was so complete she even let out a little meep and pouted as a hand shot up to begin rubbing her offended nasal organ.  She wanted to look offended, but Enyd's starry eyed enthusiasm was too much and Zark let out a generous laugh at her friend's priorities and pointy predilections. 

"Not quite yet, and if I had my say on the matter, you'd never use it all.  Now, as I said, fitted you were going to be, and fitted you shall be hon." Zark exclaimed as she led her friend to a platform with several mirrors.  Zark turned around and talked as she walked towards the table where the scotch had been deposited.  "We could do this the easy way and just have the computer scan you for size, but where the fun in that?  So we're going to compromise a bit."  Reaching the table, she poured two generous rounds and added a few ice balls before carrying them back to the platform and pointing at a woman with flaming red hair and laughing blue eyes.  "Caitlin here is going to measure you and she's going to get various articles for you to try on.  No chugging the nice scotch please."  Zark handed the dark amber liquid to Enyd and clinked glasses before sipping the sweet toasty liquid before continuing. 

"You're encouraged to drink and move around on the platform while being measured.  That way Caitlin can get a good sense of the mobility needed for the outfits.  When she gets enough information, the holodeck will generate clothes for you to try on.  There's three ready styles programmed in already."  The happy Andorian smirked for a moment. "Given how much trouble you get into, it doesn't hurt to be able to move freely even though you look like something from a formal festival."    Zark turned on her feet once more and walked to a nearby sofa.  Taking a moment to smooth out her own kilt, she sat down and crossed her legs to watch the proceedings as she took another sip and Caitlin moved in with a length of tape measure to start her part of the process.  "Okay Enyd, I have a drink and more nearby at my beck and call.  So lay it on me, how was the rest of week from when we last get together? and...."    Zark paused as her mood took a dip and her expression became neutral due to the elephant in the room, but she was concerned for her friend's well being, so she took a much bigger sip and trotted out the question. "How are you settling into being head diplomat now?" 

Clan Grant Tartan pattern
[Show/Hide]
Styles
[Show/Hide]
 

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #5 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd followed Zark’s directions and refrained from “chugging” the delicious liquor. She made an audible lip smack of delight after her first sip, winking at Zark as she raised the glass in a second salute before going in for another small sip as Caitlin came forward and began the process of measuring.

“I agree with the need for mobility.” Enyd twirled around from Caitlin’s clutches for a moment to prove her point, careful not to spill her scotch. The redhead shook her head with an amused smile and waited until Enyd twirled back into reach to continue her measurements. Enyd was curious about the styles but, without seeing them yet, chose to voice her preferences, “I adore anything that looks classic military, and I also love capes. Is there something that has both?”

As Caitlin continued her measurements, occasionally pushing Enyd to move a certain way so she could get something more precise, Enyd heard Zark’s questions. She’d need a lot more scotch after the tales she was to tell, but staying true to her word, Enyd only sipped at the liquid as she told Zark of all the adventures she’d been involved with, willingly or not, since they’d last seen another. Zark had been present when Enyd had intentionally gotten her arse handed to her by Frank at the fight night, and had heard of the diplomatic success of her venture on Qo’Nos with L’Nari, so it was the adventure with the brigadier on Qo’nos, the sabre bear riding with Drauc, the shibari bonding with Via in the lounge, the skydiving adventure with Cal, and finally the Klingon comedy show went nudistically wrong with Alistair that Enyd shared. By the end, Enyd held up her glass for a much-needed refill before addressing the second question her Andorian friend voiced.

“About the head diplomat thing, well, I certainly hope Rutherford recovers. While I do not shy away from necessary responsibilities, I would rather not be given these responsibilities permanently under these circumstances.” Enyd shrugged, repeating the gesture with Caitlin instructed she do so for more intricate measurements. She was lifting her hands over her head and slowly turning when Enyd glanced over her shoulder to offer Zark a reassuring smile, “What about you? What sort of mischief have you gotten into?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #6 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Caitlin smiled and nodded as she fussed about the diplomat, pulling off the tape measure and stretching it against various parts of Enyd's body. "Aye lass, Ah think we have somethin for ye." She answered before prodding the diplomat in another direction and dodging a scotch wielding arm.  The answer brought a small smile to the Andorian's lips as she brought her glass up to take in another drink of the fine dram.

Little did she know it was going to be her last sip for a while as Enyd dove into the other activities that had taken up the rest of her days in between.  Zark didn't know whether she was supposed to laugh, cry, or throw her glass at Enyd.  Having already picked her up once and shaken her like a dog did their favourite toy, the security officer felt warring temptation to go over to the measuring platform and simultaneously wrap her friend in a straight jacket, and hug her at the same time, again.  The sheer insanity of the misadventures she was having was tough enough to process while the blue woman's mind continuously misfired at the seemingly more implausible yet utterly true events that had transpired.  Most people would have dismissed the brunettes stories as flights of fancy, but when you got drunk enough together, and had your own silly adventures with the person, there were signs that someone just needed to vent, and Zark could see them radiating off the diplomat.  This was the poor woman's chance to relieve her own stress from her own incredible life.

Still, the decision on whether Enyd was in need of an padded room or a baking pan full of brownies with ice cream was forestalled as Zark nodded her agreement with Enyd on Rutherford's condition.  The attack had come as a shock to the whole crew and the loss of two department heads so quickly highlighted the fact that the war with the Mo'Kai was far from over.  The Andorian's mind wandered back for a moment to the elegant woman who had all too briefly led the ship's diplomatic efforts, and how she was navigating a sea of changes. The Andorian's last visit to the Diplomatic Council room was a case in point with so many varying view point that needed a single answer.  Knowing Enyd as she did, Zark didn't envy the leadership challenges she was going to face in the future.  At least she outranked everyone else and would hold onto the upgrades Chief Arnold had installed.  Still, with everything that had happened, Zark decided to try to keep things light despite a pervading sense of exasperation that wouldn't go away.

Despite her own admonition to not chug the scotch, Zark did just that and drained her own glass in one go.  Clyde had been kept busy making sure there was an amber stream flowing into Enyd's glass, and when the blue hand holding the glass went up, he rushed back to fill hers.  Initially he was only going to fill the edge of the pattern on the glass, but Zark commanded more and an eyebrow quirked as he eventually stopped at two-thirds of the glass before she took a healthy gulp.  "Oh no!  I take it back Enyd, drain that glass and you're not getting off the hook all that so easily."  The slightly blushing alcohol infused Andorian settled back into her seat as she gave her friend a look that had salaciousness written all over it. "Excusez mon français, but you almost and ahhhh mean almost let Drauc, one of the most secretive and hottest bad boys on the ship, fuck you into quivering putty.  Then you got into a strip tease, not once, but twice, and almost end up accidentally getting mounted by the nice muscular Alistair Leavitt during one of them. Now hold on Enyd. Hear me out. If those fickle bitches of fate had pulled the wrong string on you, he could have slipped and you would have gotten Murphy's prong of perversity in you, in addition to Mr.Leavitt.  Don't tell me that didn't cross your mind."

The Andorian took another larger sip and let the fiery liquid burn its way down for a moment and took a deep breath "All the time while fate was trying to toss you around like a rag doll." Zark took a moment to lean forward as she rested the amber glass on her knee.  "Well, you seem to have come out of it none too worse for wear I think, so what are you gonna do next?"  One platinum eye brow arched inquisitively. "Not a whole lot seems to have come from the your escapade with the lovely Mr.Leavitt, but Signore Drauc T'Laus is another matter entirely.  I hear he's been released from sickbay and is on quarters rest.  Will you be looking for a nurse's dress circa 1940 to go check up on him?" Zark offered jokingly.

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #7 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd shook her head, “I didn’t almost let anyone do anything. Drauc was feeding off the bear's ferocity, and I could calm him down. We haven’t been acquainted long, but I presumed accurately to know that he never would’ve forgiven himself if he’d actually had his way with me there. Neither one of us was in the physical condition for it. In all likelihood, IF I had allowed it to continue, he would’ve coughed up a lung on my face and passed out, and we’d both be in a worse condition than we are in now.” She stuck out her tongue petulantly at Zark while waiting for her glass to be refilled. “The strip tease for the Orions was hardly a strip tease, and it was just a stall tactic. I’d read in the brochure how long the tour typically lasted and that they always ended up at the lounge at the end of the tour, so I figured I could stall long enough we’d be reunited with the tour. Voila! That happened. Not smoothly, mind you, and Mia and Amanda may need therapy, but none of us were defiled or bespoiled.”

Enyd swirled the liquid in her glass, mind briefly skittering back to her Klingon comedy excursion with Alistair. A smile tugged at her lips before she took a long sip, though she didn’t drain it as Zark had suggested.

“The Klingon show was unintentional nudity, and if we’re going to get precise, I mounted Alistair. And while his underwear had been ripped to his ankles, mine was still in tact. So I could have only had Murphy’s prong from Drauc, unless Alistair’s prong has ample dexterity and can maneuver past underwear.” Enyd giggled, shaking her head at both the thought and the mental image. “My colleague Faye would say there’s nothing wrong with dropping from one sack to another as it pleases you, shameless hedonist that her mother calls her.” Enyd held up a hand before Zark started to lecture Enyd as she knew her grandmother would if she was standing in Zark’s place. “I am not a hedonist. It had crossed my mind how odd the timing was for those two fairly intimate encounters. From the start, I’ve been attracted to Drauc. His very voice turns me into mush and after I fainted in his arms, he was able to ascertain that he is attracted to me of his own accord and not just feeding off my attraction. Alistair was and is a surprise for me. I greatly enjoy spending time with him, he makes me laugh, he also brings out a very mischievous streak in me that no one else has really activated before, and it is just…easy with him.” Enyd downed the glass and held it out for another. “It seems my romantic life will always come in dyads. Much to my chagrin.”

Enyd shrugged at Zark’s question, “I honestly don’t know. The nice thing about Drauc is I don’t have to explain anything. I can walk into his quarters, sit across from him, and drink tea, and he’ll know everything. What he chooses to do with that knowledge, I don’t know. But that’s one step I’m going to take. As for Alistair, he’s been busy with duties and I’d like to think he isn’t avoiding me, but with how often things go awry with me, he may have called it quits and run for the hills. In which case, he’s a good friend to reminisce about the time we wrestled Klingons naked on Qo’Nos.”

The nurse’s outfit had Enyd choking on her drink and Caitlin returned to pound on her back to assist until she could breathe again.

“I haven’t been sexually intimate with anyone but myself in over two years, Zark. I certainly don’t have the gumption to don a get up like that to seduce a man trying to differentiate himself from everyone else on the ship. And that’s the thing with Drauc, I have such a strong moral compass that I do not want to enter into anything with anyone if they are not participating of their own accord and not merely because they are feeding off of me. That’s not fair to them, or me. So, not sure we’re to the sexy check-up stage yet.”

Turning green eyes to her Andorian friend, Enyd tipped her head up, “What about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #8 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark nodded at her friend's insight into her relationship as it were with Drauc and Alistair, and she nodded at what she was hearing.  The diplomat's analysis of how the events went down made her smile. Zark had been totally serious about examining what had happened, and despite the enticements, Enyd had her head on straight regarding what had happened on the tour, the hike, and everything else.  The Zhen frowned for a moment as she took a look at her own reaction.  It dawned on her that her reaction was mostly due to her own proclivities and assumptions, which she'd foisted on Enyd, and that made her mentally wince.  Add in a healthy dose of worry and she could see where her reaction had come from.

The diplomat coughing as she made the correct conclusion about sexy nurse wear to check up on Drauc pretty much confirmed her analysis as she laughed richly seeing she'd finally got one on the brunette. "I'm sorry Enyd, I really am!  But that one was too good to pass up, especially when you think underwear is somehow an impediment to sex, and I totally agree with you that Drauc's voice is something to make anyone's knees weak.  Kinda reminds me of Ryn, my Chan, but his voice isn't as raspy."  The Zhen shrugged away the difference before she took another sip as Clyde refilled the diplomat's glass as she settled her own nerves.  "I'm sorry Enyd, but those events were dangerous from more than one perspective.  Dealing with wild fauna, rebels, and brigands isn't something to sneeze at, and I was utterly flabbergasted at everything, and I get worried when the universe tries to dump you into it's maw to chew you up and spit you back out in pieces"  Zark mentally weight the scales and felt Enyd wouldn't her suggestion, but Zark cared, so she shared.  "Soooo, you should consider wearing a tac vest everywhere you go, and maybe armed guards with you all times."

Caitlin pushed Enyd to face the mirrors as she set about measuring other parts. "A'right lass, suck in a big breath, and hold, good, let it out."  The red head licked her pencil made some more notations in her notepad."Now, what have I been up to.  Well first off was watching Faye and L'Nari go at it.  I didn't realize that two diplomats could be well, so petty, but they've made an art out of it.  It's so bad, it's in their personnel files.  I thought when you asked me to do the security check on them, it was good chance for the two of them to settle differences and bond over a common task, but by Lor'vela Enyd!  It's like they reverted to elementary school playground stuff!" The security officer's antennae peeled back as recounted some of the antics the two junior diplomats pulled on each other, though this seemed to be a blue fury button issue as more and more shenanigans spilled out.  "Anyway, I well uhmmm got frustrated and went overboard with them during the hand to hand test, and well, to be honest, I don't think they learned a whole lot from the bruises."   The Andorian took another sip as she turned sad eyes on the diplomat.  "I'm not proud of it and having to patch them back up wasn't good, though " and Zark's antennae began to wave around a bit. "I have patched things up with Faye.  L'nari on the other hand seems to keep me as far away as she can manage.  Hasn't really replied to a single message. She acknowledged the messages, but I don't think she wants to think about it anymore." 

"Aside from that, I stood watch over an experiment with the infested, though I did scare Chief Arnold's assistant, Lieutenant Azrin Ryn, when I showed up in my exosuit and an isomagnetic disintegrator on my back."  Zark gave a a wry smile as she shrugged.  "I don't think they're going to forget that experiment any time soon, though I think I might have contributed to Mia's need for therapy as well.  Poor girl can't catch a break and she's now where near as ...... mentally hardy as you are."  Zark took another sip and tapped on her glass a few times.  "One thing that did surprise me though was how fast what's his name, the Romulan we arrested after the opera fiasco. Hirek. yeah, that's it.  I'm surprised how fast he got out of the brig." The Andorian took another deeper sip.  "I expected him to stay there for a while and now he's "  Zark blew out some troubled air before seeming to turn inward.  "Enyd, I'm sorry I wasn't able to come get you that night. I asked, even had a plan put together for it, but I got told to wait.  Let local security handle it."

There was bit of a pregnant pause when Caitlin took that moment to interrupt.  "Excuse meh Miss Madsen, buh wuld ya be wearin that giant cleaver there on yer hip ur back?"

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #9 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd quirked an eyebrow. Last time she checked, the penis could only go into the vagina if the vagina was uncovered ergo, underwear could be an impediment to sex. Keeping these thoughts to herself, though now very curious about what sort of underwear-wearing sex Zark had had, Enyd smiled at Zark’s suggestion for a tac vest.

“I don’t think the tac vest would go too well with my heels.” She stuck her tongue out at her friend mere seconds before Caitlin pushed her to face the mirror. As Enyd followed Caitlin’s orders, she listened to Zark share her week, and right off the bat Enyd couldn’t resist a snort. L’Nari disagreed with Enyd’s diplomacy tactics and potentially didn’t like Enyd personally. Still, she wholeheartedly disliked Faye, and their cat-fighting was only barely under the surface at every department meeting. The fact that both women had managed to irk Zark to the degree the Andorian had gone overboard had Enyd grinning through the reflection at her friend. “I’m sure they’re both fine. They’re professional at the end of the day, even L’Nari, with all her snarkiness, is a professional. She disagrees with anything remotely associated with violence to what we might consider an irrational degree, borderline insubordinate, but she is here to get a job done, and so far, she’s done her job. With lots to say about it in the process.”

Enyd paused as Caitlin continued to push and prod her into a new position, Zark quickly filling in the silence with more stories. She’d met Ryn and could only imagine the poor girl’s face at seeing an exosuit Andorian marching up to her bed. And Mia, well Mia was likely not going to want to go on any sort of outing with Enyd again any time soon. While technically nothing that went wrong on the tour had been her fault, sometimes you just didn’t want the painful reminders the sight of someone brings.

When the conversation turned to Hirek, Enyd sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know all the details because it's Intelligence, but I know enough that he was a plant for Intelligence all along, and he used my kidnapping as a method for defection to Theurgy. He assured me that he wasn’t the mastermind behind the kidnapping, nor was he the one to knock me unconscious, but he certainly was the one who gave me a sabotaged phaser that stunned us both before tossing us into the scummy river, making it look like we’d drowned in case any of the Tal Shiar agents got away.” Enyd shrugged, and in the pause, Caitlin asked about her ‘cleaver.’ Enyd smiled and pointed to her hip, “I’d prefer to wear it on my hip, Caitlin, thank you.”

Looking back to Zark through the reflection, Enyd tipped her head to the side, “Any other adventures you care to share?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #10 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark sighed as she sat for a moment and took a sip to stall for time.  The last two of her last trips were potentially too sensitive, and one other meeting she had to think about whether Enyd needed to know.  It was times like these that the Andorian wished Starfleet was more bureacratic, that way, she had someone to kick the decision to on who she could share the information with.  "I'm sorry Enyd.  I feel like I'm apologizing a lot for things out of your control, but in this case, I'm not even sure I'm supposed to be thinking about my last trips to Qo'nos.  I've heard of some pretty cloak and dagger type stuff from Intelligence and the Spec Ops people, but this surpasses even the blackness of those things.  I don't even know if mentioning this at all will cause some sort of unforeseen calamity somewhere in our future." If Zark's face wouldn't say it, her antennae would be able to tell her audience what she thought of a situation.  In this case though, everything in her body language said Please do not ask me about this "I really don't like keeping things from friends, but this one is way too classified."

Caitlin, utterly oblivious to the situation, or maybe it was Thea being totally in tune with what was going on, picked that moment to interrupt.  "Achright ladies. I'm done ere.  Miss Madsen, if you'd just face tha mirrors for eh momen, I'll bring up tha various designs.  Go ahead and move aboot ta see how they feel.  Clyde! Bring tha cleaver uver!  A lady always needs her sword!"

The Zhen settled back into the comfortable chair and hoped she wouldn't have to tell Enyd a straight out no, and the two of them could just enjoy a fashion show and costume party from this point on.

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #11 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd raised a single eyebrow at Zark’s reticence. She’d never seen her friend look so torn, and it was a testimony to her professionalism and her relationship with Enyd that there was this much evidence of how physically painful it was to keep things from her. Considering Zark mentioned the future in her dismayed semi-confession, Enyd could only assume that whatever it was Zark had been involved with was somehow connected to the temporal initiatives Ives had mentioned were an important factor in upcoming missions. She’d not been briefed on everything since her installment as acting department chief, but Enyd had been told enough to know that there was much going on behind the scenes within the realms of temporal. mechanics.

Instead of pressing Zark and potentially damaging their relationship, and fully believing in the professionalism of her captain and his officers to brief her of anything she would need to know in order to run her department—for as long as she was running it—Enyd nodded to the Andorian woman without another word on the matter. Caitlin’s timely utterance distracted them both from the brief foray into dangerous conversation topics and Enyd shot the woman a bright smile with a nod.

“Yes, a lady always needs her ‘cleaver’ nearby to ward off unwanted suitors.” Enyd glanced back at Zark with another eyebrow raised, “Speaking of unwanted suitors, has there been anyone come calling at your doorstep I should know about?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #12 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

If Zark had been drinking, Enyd would have been treated to the sight of a caramel coloured spray of surprise.  Instead, the Zhen gave the human a good old snort as she relaxed and a smirk before straightening her spine and lifting her nose at her friend.   "Enyd, if it pleases you, don't remind me that I'm a very.....very bad Andorian that likes to go around and trample her way all over societal taboos.  As soon as I get home, I will not have suitors waiting for me since I already have bond mates.  Instead, I'm sure after I get my very athletic and intimate welcome home, Ryn is going to hand me a PADD with a bunch of offended people's names on it that say I'm being selfish, a disgrace to Andorians all around, and so on and so forth."  Zark's head returned to it's normal setting as she sounded so dry and bored with the last part, she could have evaporated her scotch glass.  It was good thing she didn't have that ability since she took another sip before continuing. "Anyway, I'm nice enough to reply, thanking them for their concern, and pretty much asking what they're going to do about it, and if they think they can change my mind, they're welcome to come visit and try.  Otherwise, they can bring their blades and we can settle things the old way.  Problem is since we don't actually kill each other, even if I lose, I'm not gonna change my mind and they can kiss my shapely blue posterior for their trouble."

Zark shrugged after reminding herself of better times and being a general badass, so she drained her scotch and a different footman, Ewan, this time came over and filled her glass.  Zark flashed a smile at the hologram.  "To answer the question in the expanded sense since it sort of does involve your department, Faye and I had sex yesterday.  As far as I know, it's a one time event since she's with Nurse Riley all the time, but I do envy you having someone who's so, how do I put it, embracing of life?  Hard working, hard playing, and from what I gather, very competent at both." Zark looked whistful for a moment as her mind briefly flashed images and sensations into her mind.  "Anyway, we'll probably meet for drinks again at some point, or maybe I'll insist she needs to work out more and I'll throw her around the mat a bit."

Caitlin with her oblvious sense of timing interrupted.  "Exuse meh Miss zh’Ptrell, but if ya'd be soo kind, could ya hold off yer yappin for a momen while I get tha cleaver attached to Miss Madsen's hip."  Zark sigh held high levels of exasperation in it.  "Caitlin, how many times have I told you to call me Zark?"   "Nought on yer life me blue lassie!  Ye asked tha brain of this ere flyin bathtub to program me, so ye got yer just desserts there."

The Zhen moue'd Silly me asking Thea to help give Caitlin her personality  "Well, I'm gonna keep talking so work with it." Caitlin gave Zark a rude gesture that caused the medico to give a sharp single laugh. "Anyway Enyd, at this point, I really don't know how the other Andorian's are gonna take my preferences.  I don't think Nysari knows yet.  I never talk to Shall in Science, and well my boss, Ida, is an outcast and from what I've gleaned, she's generally in the same boat as I am.  The rest, well, my displays of ass kickery are all over the ship, so they keep quiet."

Zark gave a comedic shrug as Caitlin this time was in a huff, and she whirled on Zark as Clyde appeared to trying to contain his laughter as he stood with the scotch bottle next to Enyd. "Can I please activate her clothes now your ladyship?"  Zark settled back and made a airy waving gesture at the diplomat mannequin. "I say fine, but ask her!  She's the one on the platform!"

The red head turned on the brunette with a sense of exaggerated patience as she planted her fists on her hips.  "Well? Can I do my work now yer highness?"

Clan Grant Tartan pattern



Kilt Outfits


Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #13 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd’s eyes widened as Zark dropped far more information than she’d been expecting. She wasn’t quite certain what to address first. The fact that she hadn’t been intending to insult with her question and did NOT think Zark was a bad Andorian? Or her confusion on why Ryn would even have a list of offended people in the first place? Or her even greater concern that someone on the ship had dared to label Zark as a disgrace and had lived to walk away? Then, past the near-overwhelming introductory remarks made by her beautiful friend, there was the mind-numbing confession that she’d so casually had intimate relations with Faye. The day before. Enyd blinked, trying first to figure out what had led up to those two deciding to become intimate and then doing her best to wash the images out of her mind out of respect for both women. One as a friend and the other as a colleague and a department member.

She was still opening and closing her mouth in silent attempts to form words when Caitlin announced her readiness to reveal the work. The slight banter between the holographic woman and Zark brought a welcome smile to Enyd’s face as her mind went back over everything that had been verbally punted at her in such a short span of time. Zark didn’t help matters when she did yet another round of comparison comments that wrinkled a frown onto Enyd’s face, but then Caitlin again interrupted Enyd’s attempt to reply with her own question. Heaving a sigh, Enyd nodded. Best to address things one at a time AFTER the great outfit reveal.

Enyd’s mouth dropped open yet again, but for entirely different reasons once the outfit was revealed. It was both exactly what she’d wanted and yet not at all what she’d expected. There was a unique flair that the computer had managed to incorporate into the details, likely feeding off the conversation passing between herself and Zark, that marked this particular outfit as different from the generic ones she’d seen earlier. Looking up from studying the outfit, Enyd grinned at Zark then briefly looked at Caitlin.

“This is stunning!” she smoothed her hands over the fabric of the kilt, the smile remaining on her lips as she studied it more closely. “Thank you so much!”

Turning to face Zark again, Enyd finally began to address the LONG list of things swirling in her head after her friend’s verbal diarrhea.

“If anyone has ever dared to label you as a disgrace should be tarred and feathered. Not to pull too heavily from my Vulcan heritage but ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations is true in this situation. You aren’t a ‘bad Andorian’ any more than I’m a bad human. Just because we deviate from a generalized norm of our species doesn’t mean we are disgracing the entirety of our people or bringing shame to our home planets. There will always be people we feel more akin to and people who will dislike us, regardless of whether they are within our species. So, Zark, darling, please do not mistake my earlier question as a judgment against your character, an assumption, or anything else. I was merely teasing you.”

She stepped down from the podium and held up her glass for a refill, waiting only until after a warming sip before she continued her own verbal onslaught.

“Secondly, you shouldn’t give a damn how the other Andorians will interpret your actions or character. That’s not their job. You are here for your job, and they’re here for theirs, and if you don’t have enough in common to consider each other more than colleagues in the off hours, then oh well. There are plenty of humans on this ship, but I haven’t met all of them, nor would I get along with all of them perfectly if I did meet them all. So it is illogical even to waste time or breath wondering or worrying about what they might think about my choices. Are your actions bringing you joy? Are they representing the type of person you want to continue to develop into? If yes, grand. If no, then change whatever needs to be changed and move onward and upward.”

Enyd drained her glass this time, grimaced, then pointed the finger at Zark.

“I am VERY curious how the two of you ended up in bed together, but I also don’t want to know a damn thing about it.” Enyd smiled demurely as she held up the glass for yet another refill. “But, I have a question: how do you separate the physical from the emotional? Unless you don’t, in which case that’s fine as well. Just,” she frowned at her glass, swirling the amber liquid a bit before speaking up again, “I’ve only been with Javec, and now I’ve got two men that I’m physically and emotionally attracted to and I know fuck all about anything. At least that’s how I feel.” Enyd blushed, realizing she’d dropped a curse word. Her grandmother would toast her ears, but she knew Zark didn’t care. Giving a half-shrug, Enyd sipped again as she stared at Zark over the rim of her glass, “Care to share insights on the matter?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #14 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark pursed her lips in a silent whistle as her antennae focused themselves on the simply dressed woman to the embodiment of a highland warrior princess.  The patent black leather ankle boots formed well with the Christmas hued that folded just under the knees.  Zark was still a Zhen, so seeing Enyd's flawless milky legs was always something to be appreciated.  Be a shame to cover them, but she'll probably opt for stockings, or leggings depending on the weather. It was the pleated kilt that the centre piece of the ensemble as they hugged her hips and waist, yet offered the airy openness that looked ready to expand and flourish at their owner's command.  The sporran hung regally in place, a metal crescent with celtic knotwork holding onto a cream fur covered leather pouch with black tassles.  If she doesn't keep the knife in her boot, she's gonna dump it in there. As the blue-green eyes moved upward, the blue head nodded at the simple black vest that covered the white blouse.  A dark emerald green waist jacket with white trims at on the long collar and near the wrists completed the upper body, though a somewhat impractical, but rather dapper cross tie held the white blouse collar up. Thankfully material technology had moved on, so despite looking just a smidge tight on Enyd, the whole thing would move as if Enyd was wearing no more than her regular clothes.  A long tartan sash stretched its way from one shoulder to the opposite hip, and was held in place by a shining silver clasp that held her clan sigil.  The sash flowed off her back like a cape, ready to protect her from the elements, or be blown in the breeze for a most impressive visage.  Toping it off and hanging jauntily to one side was a highland bonnet of the same hue as her jacket with a fuzzy pom pom on the top, a pair of streamers attached to the back, and bright silvery badge of house Madsen holding a pair of Barn Owl feathers for flair.  If Enyd got her foot up on a rock and hand on the pommel of her sword, she would have made a most imposing sight.

As Enyd came down from the podium, Zark didn't get a chance to notice how satisfied Caitlin looked as Enyd's brain had finally caught up with everything the Andorian had told her friend and she began to disgorge her own verbiage back at Zark.  "Now hold on, I wasn't really...." Zark was cut off as point number two came out and her mouth hung open with a finger pointed in the air as she waited in shocked silence for Enyd to finish. "Well, yeah, I get that, and it's not....." Zark was used to pointing her finger at people, not so much at her, though she did admit, there was good cause for this one as her friend hung onto the really juicy bit the Zhen had tossed out.  Ah hah!  We reach the crux of the matter. "Can I go now your ladyship?" Zark asked though she had no intention of letting Enyd think up something else to wrack her brain over. "First off, I know you were teasing, and I was trying to tease right back, but I mashed my own console instead.  Enyd, I'm not kidding about the list Ishrynaath gives me when I get back.  My Zhavey was the same way.  It's not that long, and most of them are just venting their spleen.  If it's a good year, I only have to fight one duel, though that's sort of disappointment for the other folks since they want a family picnic day out of the fight.  Lazy spectators." The Andorian took a sip and let the liquid burn for a moment. "Second, I'm not worried in the slightest what the other Andorian's on the ship think about my personal life, but I bring it up so you're aware cultural nuances at play here, though it's mostly unknown at this point. And yes, it brings me lots of joy."  Another sip and a goofy grin. "And didn't your grandma tell you pointing is rude.  I know, I'm one to talk since I do it all the time."

Zark took another sip and held out her glass for a refill as she held up a finger and assembled her thoughts on how to address the last point since in her mind, that one was the most pertinent. When the glass was refilled, the Zhen turned to face the human as she leaned on the chair's arm rest.  "Your love life is about to become very very complicated, one attractive man, another one that turns you into putty without the slightest effort, and an ex-fiance........maybe, ex-fiance doesn't count as much in the current equation.  So I'll answer your question, and it may get a bit bawdy, but that's part and parcel of the learning.  Draw what you will from it." The Andorian sat back and stared into the fire once more as she took a couple of sips to re-organize her thoughts once more.  This took longer than usual since the Zhen hadn't thought about it in a while. When she was ready, she turned to face her friend once more. "I don't separate the physical from the emotional, but I am keenly aware of which emotions I'm experiencing.  When I let Faye seduce me, and yes she did, but that's because I was in the mood for it, though she certainly didn't think so at the time, there was a deep seeded need and desire at my core for it.  I wanted to be fucked senseless as part of some biological need for it."  The Security Officer sighed in frustration.   "Something happened on the mission to Brestant Enyd.  Nobody knows what aside from the fact we landed, got into a fight where we came back with a bruises and cuts all over, but for the life of me I can't remember any of it.  I usually get these strong urges for sex when I'm almost killed, and so that's all I can figure out.  The fact that Faye is an intensely sensual and loving being made the option of mutual intimacy and relief attractive."  Zark sipped some more Dutch Courage before continuing. "Well, that and I felt sorry for throwing her around the ring so hard and give a very nice massage too."  Zark's expression softened. "She really is a caring soul.  And it felt right." 

"So, how does this relate to you?  Well, it comes down to a question of does it feel right?  When I see my partners, I want Ryn, Shrav's or Ryzit inside me.  I want that physical connection to go along with the emotional one.  I'd suspect if we were Betazoid, that connection would go even deeper, but we aren't, so we'll take what we can get.  A lot of the times, just having them around is enough, sometimes we need more."  Zark leaned on the arm rest one more time to get closer to Enyd, curious to see what her friend would do with these tidbits. "Now you say you don't know much, so think about this.  Listen to your body, and your heart. What does your core tell you."   To make sure she was being clear, a blue finger swirled around the confused human's belly and regions south.  "Your heart will tell you about the emotional, the rest will agree or not.  If you want to learn about this, close your eyes and think of Drauc, speaking to you inviting you into his embrace, removing those gossamer thin robes.  Offering you a glass of wine in the candle light of bed with sensual silk sheets. How does that make you feel?"

Zark let that one settle in for a moment before tossing her next bomb shell. "Now, you're in the public bath, just you. Out of the water comes the hot, steamy, finely chiselled Adonis of Alistair Leavitt. Clear liquid dripping down his solid defined chest, and he takes a breath as his arms wipe the water off his clear head.  Those strong, dependable arms, bulge, showing those intense muscles that could easily sweep you away.  He offers his hand and smiles at you to join him in the pool, just the two of you. No one to watch."

Zark gave that one some time too before deciding to pull Enyd back to reality to see if she had an answer. "Well, what did you feel? Not what did you think, what did you feel?"

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #15 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

While it was true that Enyd felt beautiful. She felt powerful. She felt like grabbing the folds of the tartan sash behind her and running around the holographic castle like a child. But Zark’s response and then her questions had Enyd’s mind fritzing out almost to the degree of when Drauc first kissed her, and she fainted. This time, blessed be the goddess of chaos, Enyd didn’t faint. But after the second verbal picture painted of Alistair in the water inviting her in, with the two combined, she felt a tickle in her nose. Still holding the glass as if her life depended on it with one hand, Enyd reached up to touch her nose with the other. Her eyes widened when she spotted crimson on the tips of her fingers as she pulled them away.

“Caitlin, a hankie if you please?”

Thankful she wasn’t still on the podium, Enyd staggered to a chair parallel to Zark and plopped down. She set her glass on the table, mindful not to let any of the precious liquid slosh out, then accepted the white handkerchief when it was offered. Pinching the cloth just below the bridge of her nose, Enyd shot a side glare at the Andorian fiend.

“You are not a very nice person, Zark.” Enyd’s nasal-sounding chastisement didn’t come across as particularly harmful even to her own ears, leading her to sigh and settle more petulantly against the back of the chair. “Give me a minute.”

Closing her eyes, Enyd tipped her head to lean against the chair’s high back. She let the tsunami-like shock of the images settle into more controlled reflection pools in her mind. There was much to comment on and address, but she had only one mouth, and neither of them was telepathic. If ever there was a time it would’ve come in handy for Zark to have Drauc’s abilities, it was now. There was so much going on all at once, yet she had to verbalize them one by one.

She finally broke the silence once she felt the bleeding was staved and could set aside the soiled fabric, “I’m sorry for the memory lapse, Zark. Do you need to talk to Rhys or someone from the counseling department about it? Or me? I’m no counselor, of course, but I have two good ears. At least they’re good when they aren’t stinging from your teasing.” Enyd grabbed her glass again and saluted her friend with it. “I’m not about to judge how you worked your way through your stress. You saw how I handled mine back in the ring during fight night. It just seems that when you feel a prompting to fuck, I feel the need to press my physical self to the limits and a breaking point. I have never tried that same mindset in the bedroom yet, so perhaps one day you’ll see me with bruises again, but they’ll be from another type of boxing ring.”

Enyd snorted, already knowing it would take a very special context and a very special person to prompt her to follow through with such a statement. She’d never thought about her sex drive or desires as lacking until this very moment. Where Zark spoke openly of wanting and needing sex, with the allusion to it being often, Enyd reflected on her own timeline of orgasms. She’d only pleasured herself to climax four times in the past month. She’d had more than a dozen sex dreams that mimicked orgasm alongside those wakeful masturbations, but aside from that, she’d not even thought about sex.

She knew her sex drive was something very connected to her emotional and mental framework. When she was trying to problem-solve, there was nothing remotely sexual about anyone or anything. It was as if that part of herself completely turned off and ceased to exist. When she wasn’t problem-solving or balancing the department needs, in those moments between problems, Enyd felt the tugging of sensuality, the deep-seated yearning to wake up to having a man beside her in bed, someone to share meals with, someone to playfully push away when he insisted on kissing her senseless before her morning coffee.

It wasn’t until she felt a tickle in her throat and sipped at her liquor that Enyd realized she’d said all those thoughts aloud. She snorted into her glass once she realized; she didn’t need Drauc’s help to vomit out her every thought and feeling after all. Looking over to Zark with a sardonic smile, Enyd chuckled at her own idiocy.

“When I was Victor, I was worried that my sex drive would be too much for him.” Enyd stopped, realizing it wasn’t her place to speak more about her ex-fiance without his permission to share such intimate matters. “I’m sure there is as much sex drive diversity among Cardassians as there is among any species, but I found that Javec and I paired well in that regard. He was often satisfied with soft touches as we passed by and, if anything, was far keener on verbal flirtation than actual sex, though we were always physically intimate in some way.” Sighing, Enyd stopped to sip at her drink, her mind moving on to finally touch on the painted pictures Zark had delighted in brushing out for her. “If I were in work mode and had a problem to solve, for both scenarios, I would merely be confused with the circumstances and excuse myself to go take care of the mission first. If I wasn’t in work mode, I’d probably have another nosebleed, faint, fall into a fit of giggles, and maintain my confusion for different reasons.” Enyd pressed the glass against her forehead and frowned. It took a few moments before she began to speak aloud a currently-forming theory, “If however, I was the one making the invitations to the men, I can imagine the desire, the thrill of the moment. I’m curious if that has something to do with it. Being on the receiving end of seduction versus being on the instigating side?”

Enyd drained her drink, clinked her glass onto the table, and swiveled in her chair to face Zark, “It doesn’t seem to bode well that in both scenarios if I was the instigator, I feel equal desire for both men. Feel equal desire to invite both me to be intimate with me. Neither does it help that in both scenarios, if both men were to invite me in such a fashion, I would be a puddle of useless goo in response.” Smoothing her hand down the waistcoat, Enyd raised an eyebrow as she stared at her friend. “Well, sexual sensei, what do you say to all that?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #16 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark had seen many things related to sex at one point or another.  She'd executed an arrest while a couple had been having intercourse and dragged the perp away naked.  In other cases, it wasn't unusual when she got home to find herself sandwiched between all three other partners.  That took work to sort out, thankfully her balance was amazing for staying in that position till everyone was done.  On the other hand, she could say with absolute certainty that this was the first time she'd seen arousal go over board and the result coming out of their nose instead.  This confirmed that Enyd really was the odd duck as Zark smiled in amusement despite her friend's being upset over situation.  Enyd's attempt at chastisement was more cute than anything else and the blue smile got bigger as the glare slid off the Zhen like so much water.   All Zark could really do was chuckle as she bestowed a knowing smile the diplomat that said volumes more about what she thought.  If she really wanted to, she could have kept winding Enyd, but there would be plenty of chances for that later.  Despite the frustrated sigh she'd let out earlier, the Andorian waved at the sympathy.  "What's done is done.  Everyone came out of that one alive and I have no interest in revisiting what happened."  A platinum eye brow did rise at the fact that Enyd was even contemplating using sex as an outlet for stress relief instead of getting the stuffing beat out of her.  Zark nodded at the inevitable softer bruises that would follow since that seemed safer than getting smacked around in a boxing ring.

Still, when Enyd began to talk to herself, Zark felt like she needed a pair of glasses, a pen, and a note pad as the oblivious human unloaded her sexual history.  The Zhen stayed silent, though she nodded along and let her internal monologue do all the work. Really? 4 times in the last month?  That's it?  That accounts for the number of dreams.  I think I've had maybe two.  Then again, I'm either fucking or masturbating two or was it three more than she is.  Probably closer to three. The continuing of the evaluation seemed to bring about numerous revelations. Well, that goes without saying, aside from that one time, sex doesn't exist while on duty.  Uh-Huh you really want to have that feeling of the warm body beside you. Zark noted on her mental notepad as she took a moment to scratch her nose in lieu of pushing up glasses.  When Enyd was finished and realized she'd been talking out loud.  Zark simply smiled and took another sip of her scotch as she leaned back and let Enyd keep going.  It was really very sweet and cute. 

The last part both exasperated and sent the Zhen's brain on overdrive.  She literally feel the blood flowing like little ants as it turns out her little though experiment hadn't really helped as much as she thought it would.  On the other hand, that's my fault for making both situations so delectable. Still, it's odd that she's the one that has to issue the invitations for intimacy.  I guess she really is that naive, though maybe....  Zark needed more time to process what had been told to her, though the 'Sexual Sensei' part did give her an idea as she giggled at that one.  "Computer, black frame glasses, a silver pen, and a notepad please."  The computer generated the items on the table between the two women and Zark first put on the glasses before grabbing the pen and paper.  She put on her best psychologist face, and began drawing random curved on the notepad as if she was writing.  The pseudo psychiatrist let a minute  pass before she put the pen down and took the glasses off, but instead of closing them began chewing on the frame instead for a few seconds before closing them and crossing arms over her knees.  "First off, Sexual Sensei sounds like one of those holo programs that get peddled out by the Ferengi at Drazona Station or DS9.  People find out that it refers to me, I'm not gonna be surprised to find my likeness in it, along with the program name being along side Vulcan Love Slave, so hush okay?"

The glasses clattered on the table as Zark tossed them. The hand smoothly went for the whiskey glass for a sip as her hand holding the pen began gently tapping away on the pad of paper in thought.  "Next, I was want to come up with some fancy psycho babbler term for what you are, but I just don't know it.  The thing is, I know what I would do in that case and while it might be fun for me, I don't think you'd go through with it."  The Zhen continued tapping on the paper pad, then stopped as she came to a conclusion, though her face was visibly unhappy with it. "The way I see it, you have two, well three options.  Option 1.  Do nothing.  Easiest, but it tends to drag things out, and leave things unresolved.  They start making up their own reasons or seeking you out to find out what happened and if anything could happen.  General all around bad or ambiguous feelings."

The sensei inhaled for a moment before moving on. Lots of talking. "Option 2.  Have a sit down with each one and glean more information from them, where do y'all want this to go?  That one at least sets clear objectives.  The path certainly won't be straight and narrow, but it'll have a definite end that I think everyone can live with.  Maybe to seal the deal, screw silly the one you want to be with in a night of passion and romance.  You can be on the bottom the first time, then you ride them afterwards.  Make sure to let the other one know you can only be friends."

The Zhen's smile had been only somewhat lewd at the end of Option 2.  The next one though had indecent written all over it. "Option 3.  Fuck both of them, maybe both at the same time?  Low light, a few scented candles, a nice bottle of your choice, and some very nice negligee to play with, then a good ol romp, maybe another round right after if it's really good.  Drauc in the front, Alistair in the back, in rode Enyd in the middle on the poles of passion! After that, you can think about which one was better and switch."

Zark had to wave her hand very quickly after the last bits spilled out of mouth and her hands flew up to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.  The Andorian took a few breaths before dropping her hand and she had the sense to look chagrined, though it didn't have full force since she was also wearing a wry smile. Not entirely horrified by what she'd said, though she wasn't sure how Enyd was handling it.  "Enyd, I'm sorry.  Sex and alcohol are generally a bad idea since I have naughty streak in me.  Please don't take number 3 seriously.  Without clear intentions ahead of time, it invites no end of confusion and trouble.  Have a sit down with both of them and hash out the feelings all round.  Since it'll work better with you initiating, you ask them to a powow with coffee, tea and the like.  Make sure to let them you know you don't want any hurt feelings, and you'll get back to them with a decision after you're done talking to both."  Zark got up after this and put everything on the table as she made her way over to Enyd's chair and sat down on the arm rest.  "Whatever happens, if you need someone to talk to about it more, or just a shoulder to cry on, I'll be here for you."  The blue woman gently wrapped her arm around Enyd's head and shoulder and pulled her closer.  Oh Spirits, please don't let her push me off the chair. Zark mentally pleaded.


Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #17 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she watched Zark pull the glasses onto her face and took hold of a notepad. It took Enyd a few moments to put together what Zark was doing, and by the time she got it, the Andorian had begun chewing on the glasses, then closed them and spoke. Enyd flashed Zark an unapologetic smile of amusement as the woman pushed against the coined moniker. The clatter from the tossed glasses momentarily startled Enyd, rearing back as they shifted across the table closer to her. Zark tapped out a rhythm on the notepad as she sipped at the whiskey before Zark began to offer a list of options, as she saw them, to Enyd.

The first option sounded very much like what Enyd was already doing and was tempted to continue doing, though she agreed with Zark on the fallout of continuing down that cowardly path. Enyd interrupted her friend just long enough to voice that thought before falling silent and letting the Andorian continue. The second option's first half sounded like what she’d been gearing up to do, having a sit-down talk with both men, starting with Drauc since she’d known him longer. The second half of the option was where Zark deviated from what Enyd felt herself presently capable of doing. Sealing the deal with sex…could she actually do that? The thought of having sex with Drauc without permission from Alistair, or vice verse, somehow sat wrong with her. Enyd sighed and voiced this thought as well, finding it strange that her subconscious felt she needed to ask permission of either men.

And that’s when Zark dropped the atomic-level third option. Mouth dropping open, stomach giving out, Enyd’s eyes crossed for a few seconds as the images pounded into her skull at the same speed as the pounding Zark described. Poles of passion…Enyd in the middle…Alistar’s flushed face cradled in the crook of her neck, warm lips pressed against her skin in heavy pants as his hips pistoned against her rear…Drauc’s hair framing his face had he held himself over her, her hardened nipples rubbing against his chest while his hips undulated up against hers, filling her completely…

Groaning, Enyd dropped her head against the table and pounded a fist against it. Zark continued talking, but now Enyd's alcohol-influenced brain continued its merry dance down the aisle of passionate poles pushing into her pussy and…Enyd gasped, shifting upright and pushing away from the table when she felt warm arms wrap around her. She let out a careening yelp as the chair gave out beneath them, and the pair tumbled to the floor. Enyd cracked her forehead against the edge of the table on the way down and was already moaning with pain by the time her body suffered from gravity and smashed on top of the overturned chair.

It took a moment for the pain to subside enough, for her brain to catch up to what had happened, for Enyd to groan out a single word, “Fuck.” Still lying on her back, Enyd turned her head to find Zark, “Are you okay, Zark?” Wincing, Enyd finally rolled onto her side, not bothering to do much more than lay her head on the pillow of her own arm and glare at her friend. “That was very, very mean of you, Zark. Poles of passion? Enyd sandwich indeed.” She sighed, letting the pain recede further, along with her momentary annoyance. “Need any help?” Enyd crawled onto her knees, wrestling with the tartan fabric for success, then reached for her friend. “Or is this the blind leading the blind again?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #18 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark should have seen it coming as soon as Enyd had tried to dig a hole in the table to bury her head.  The alcohol reducing inhibitions had taken their toll on the Zhen's self control and thinking on it in that split second between hug and crashing on the floor, Zark realized adding a witches brew of sexual content to her friend's innocent mind would have been too much.  Add an undercurrent of a bunch of fickle chaos goddesses who were determined to get their pound of laughs out of the woman would only add disastrous consequences.  It also demonstrated how well people could multi task under dire circumstances when her brain figured the typical curse of 'shelat' had too many syllables, and instead used the much more concise "Shit!" before she grunted as her back smacked on to the heavy chair as it fell.  This was fortunate as it mostly broke the security officer's fall before her head struck the ground at much reduced velocity.

Zark's vision momentarily whited out as her brain tried to exit her head into the floor, but the Andorian carapace wasn't something to sneeze at, and her grey matter initiated a reboot instantaneously that had the stunned woman staring at the candle lit chandelier as various loud Scottish accents, and heels hitting stone got closer.  Zark blinked several times as her fore brain tried to make sense of what had just happened as she lay on the ground, splayed out over the flipped chair.  A worried looking red head, then a bearded black one, followed by one with long blonde hair and a well trimmed mustache followed.  Caitlin, Clyde, and Ewan, but why are they and the chandelier above me? the inner voice asked as she blinked to try to get an answer.  It was soon provided by by a single all encompassing French curse and this jump started the neurons as the Chaos Magnet started talking.

The laid out Andorian turned her head to see how Enyd was doing as Enyd did the same, and Zark mentally grimaced as she got on her elbows.  The medico frowned as she  ignored all the questions and pithy comments for one observation.  "Enyd, you're bleeding." Despite the aches and protests from her body, Zark got up and walked on her knees to get closer, then gently grabbed the brunettes head and slowly tilted it to get a better view. "Computer, beam a tricorder, an autosuture, and a dermal regenerator to my location."  The computer beeped and the shimmering light materialized the requested items.  The medic picked up the tricorder and scanned the diplomat's head.  Looking at the results it wasn't too bad. "Glancing blows all around.  Now hold still.  Computer, hypo of Hydrocortilene please."  Zark picked up the autosuture with one hand and used the other to firmly hold Enyd's head still.  The autosuture was run over the cut, causing the bleeding to stop.  Dropping the autosuture, Zark looked down for a moment to make sure she grabbed the right implement and used the dermal regenerator to repair everything else.  After a couple of minutes, Enyd looked right as rain as if she'd never fallen over.  Well, not totally.

Zark sighed when her work was done, then she smirked again.  The dried blood definitely added to the warrior princess look. "The Hydrocortilene is for in case you get a bad headache, but then you have to stop drinking. Caitlin, can I get a wet hankie please?"  The requested item soon appeared, and Zark proceeded to wipe her friend of the blood on her head.  The one that had elicited the smirk though was when hankie made it's way to her nose and began wiping away from there.  It was a testament to how vivid the vision must have been since Zark also ended up wiping a bunch of lipstick off the brunettes upper lip.  It was going to have to re-applied for sure.  Zark felt pretty sure she was going to regret what her internal filter was going to miss next as she continued cleaning. "I'm sorry Enyd, but that was ludicrous.  You, my dear friend, are a closet kinkster.  You didn't lose it till it was one up the ass, and one up the pussy."  Zark held onto the human's nose a bit more just in case it started leaking red hemoglobin again.  "I'm don't know if you're going to really be able to settle on monogamy.  You might have to accept the possibility of being in an open relationship and being shared by the two of them. Not a bad thing really, love is love in any form, whether its Eros, Agape, Philia, Pragma, or the rest of them.  Just depends on possessive everyone wants to be."  Zark still refused to let go of the human's nose  just in case. "So, was the fall and wet nose worth it? Did you figure out if it's better with bald and muscular, scarred and mysterious, or the double sense of fulfillment?"

"Miss zh’Ptrell, please!" screeched a furiously bushing Caitlin.


OOC: Eros, Agape, Philia, Pragma are part of the seven types of love in Greek philisophy.

    Eros – Romantic, Passionate Love (Of the Body)
    Philia – Affectionate, Friendly Love
    Storge – Unconditional, Familial Love
    Agape – Selfless, Universal Love
    Ludus – Playful, Flirtatious Love
    Pragma – Committed, Long-Lasting Love
    Philautia – Self Love

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #19 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd hadn’t realized the table hit had actually cut through her skin until Zark made the observation. Only then did she feel the warm trickle of blood moving down her skin. She didn’t bother trying to stand or move away, knowing Zark would insist on her remaining still and/or sitting on her if she tried to move away. Instead, like a good girl, Enyd sat perfectly still while Zark administered medical attention. Earning herself some cookies, since Zark declared no more booze for Enyd, she patiently waited.

“I need cookies if I can’t have booze.” She commented dryly, going cross-eyed as she tracked Zark’s movements of handkerchief over healed skin and mopping up old blood. “And ‘closet kinkster,’ really? We could make quite a living just sitting you down, throwing scenarios at you, and writing the terms and definitions you come up with.” Chuckling, Enyd resisted the urge to shake her head, not wanting Zark to misinterpret the gesture as pulling away. “’Poles of passion.’ My goodness, Zark.” She felt her cheeks flush again and was thankful Zark made the preliminary move to plug her nose as the Andorian decided to line out all the forms of love she could experience. “There are more forms of love than there are terms, Zark. I am cognitively aware that there are as many forms of love as there are moments in time. I can say that I love you as easily as I say that I already love Alistair and Drauc. Even L’Nari,” she paused, shook her head, and started again in the nasal voice Zark’s pinch induced, “scratch that,” she chuckled at her own word choice before continuing, “I respect L’Nari. I’ll admit I don’t love her.”

Finally, Enyd pulled her face out of Zark’s grip. She grunted a bit as she pushed to her feet and moved to right the chair. When her eyes moved to the table, she smiled. It seemed one of the characters Zark had programmed for this scenario had heard her earlier request for cookies and delivered without further prompting. They appeared to be snickerdoodles and that suited Enyd just fine. The sugary spices would assist her in sharing more of her thoughts. Settling back into the chair, a cookie in each hand, Enyd stared at Zark for a moment before she shoved the entirety of one cookie in her mouth and smiled as she chewed, cheeks filled to the brim with cookie crumbles. Caitlin appeared a moment later with a glass of steaming tea, to which Enyd nodded her thanks.

“I established that BOTH men are still equally desired, thank you very much.” Enyd rinsed her mouth with the tea before answering. “Of course, that doesn’t help matters much. I already had a conversation with Drauc about Alistair, which went delightfully sideways.” Enyd sighed, picking the second cookie apart and plopping bite-sized pieces between her lips as she shared the bullet points of her conversation and interaction with Drauc from the day before. She’d snagged another cookie and pointed to her empty teacup with a pout with a silent request for more by the time she was done with one tale and began her summary answer to Zark’s question. “So, I’ve yet to wrangle Alistair into a corner to talk to him about things. I get the feeling that even if I am keen on the closet kinks, as you’ve so eloquently put it, I doubt either man will be as keen. They both strike me as the type who do not want to share their bedmates. And even if one or the other was willing to give it a go, as you said earlier, unless all parties are equally interested and willing to see things through, it can lead to further frustration and pain.”

Enyd paused a moment, grabbed a second cookie, then unceremoniously shoved both into her mouth. Leaning back in her chair, Enyd crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Zark as she chewed. She wasn’t angry with Zark. The only angsty anger she felt was towards herself. Neither Alistair nor Drauc had done a blessed thing to deserve the mayhem that accompanied an acquaintance with her. Both men deserved respect and complete affection. And since she seemed to have everything mucked up with only a few passing glances worth of physical intimacy shared, perhaps it was best for her to swear them both off altogether and go pet L’Nari as an old Earth cat lady might do.

“Do you think I’d make a good nun?” Enyd leaned forward just long enough to grab her tea, falling back again with a sigh. “Maybe I should be a nun.”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #20 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark accepted the compliment about her ability to come with monikers with grace and smiled.  There weren't too many other options, Enyd had a lot to work through, and the Zark had to spend her attention on making sure Enyd didn't suffer some sort of additional injury.  She also didn't want Enyd to hurt herself as she sucked her lips in a tried not to laugh.  Having one's nose forcibly plugged did funny things to the voice, and while Zark could make out what her friend was saying, she sounded very much like a cartoon, and the Andorian desperately tried to avoid having to do anything else by nodding her head in agreement.  probably with more energy than was really warranted.  A platinum eyebrow did rise and smirk lined Zark's face as Enyd admitted she loved her in the same sense that she loved Drauc and Alistair.  There were soooo many places this could go that the Zhen had to step on her sense of humour, very hard.  Enyd needed to time to recover, and trying to see if she'd switch her sexual orientation at time like this would have been a bit too confusing.  Instead, the Andorian did the sensible thing, and let the human run her course.  The medic did contemplate correcting her friend on drinking alcohol and Hydrocortilene since Zark hadn't injected her yet, but head injuries were best monitored, so maybe it wasn't a bad idea to hold off on the booze.  Enyd would probably figure it out later. If her brain slowed down to think about other things for a minute, but in the mean time, there were cookies and tea.

Zark chuckled as Enyd pulled herself out of the nose lock and settled back into the seat.  L'Nari was easy to respect for her convictions, but not easy to love for everything else, including a towering sense of superiority for someone so young.  Zark felt that if the Caitan stopped to listen and learn, then Enyd would be a great teacher, but that would take some realization and time, and the Security Officer said as much.  Getting back to the topic at hand though, the Andorian watched as Enyd ingested her alcohol substitute at a ferocious pace, and soon looked like a terran chipmunk.

As Enyd revisited her situation, Zark got up to take her own seat and continued listening.  The Zhen couldn't help but feel sympathy for the woman who had landed herself in the middle of a romantic minefield. The main trigger point was a combination of the brunette going over board by giving a lap dance to one person, while being easily overcome by the other. One was sort of her fault since she chose to do all those fun things to the man, the other was an act of the heart. So now she was being indecisive since she was afraid of offending both, though from what she'd heard of how Drauc reacted, it had amounted to a release. Except Enyd liked him too much for that and had sought his answer, not the emotional mirror, but the response from Drauc. That was hard to drill down to. Still, the neurons fired away looking for an answer. The glare Enyd gave her elicited not much more than shrug of What? You tell me.

"You'd make a terrible nun Enyd." Zark started off. "First, there is no such thing as divine protection and warding against the chaos bitches, so they'll follow you to the cloister and the next thing you know, the place is going to be a den of destruction and indecency. The other nuns may torch you or throw you in a lake for witchcraft. So as silly as that sounds, it's a baaad idea." The Andorian tapped her lips a couple of times before continuing. "The thing is, without talking to Alistair about the whole thing and what you two are, we're missing a significant data set in the calculations. We can guess as to what he's going to say and think, but only he knows how he'll react. Besides, he's the one who has to make that decision." Zark couldn't help but giver her friend a lopsided sympathetic smile.  "You know Enyd, I'm pretty sure you shining his shaft with your butt is probably going to skew things massively.  He did kiss you pretty well too, so it's possible from his perspective, in his mind at any rate, you two are already an item, even if he didn't say so out loud, and it'll be a shock to know that Drauc is in the equation."  Scratching her nose once more, Zark decided to voice one more idea.  "There is the option of Alistair talking to Drauc as well to figure out what is going on.  I don't know how that would work out since Drauc could just end up mirroring Alistair, then that would add more confusion, you know what, never mind, that's a terrible idea. Forget I mentioned it."

Zark sat back for a moment and picked up her cup of tea and took a sip before frowning for a moment and giving Enyd a suspicious stare.  "Waaaiiit.  You said this, what's his name? Klar? Was asking for training videos"  Enyd's friend leaned on the arm rest and one of her an index finger began waving circles at the ground as her face turned suspicious. "Are there any videos of you butt shining Mr.Leavitt floating around?"

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #21 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

Enyd groaned, “You forgot debauchery in that list, right behind indecency. My grandmother has probably turned so many times in her grave back on Earth that she’s reached Earth’s core and will soon drill a hole through it. Zark,” Enyd swiped cookie crumbs from her face and brushed a few off her chest when she noticed them, “I was raised with the firm foundation of monogamy as basically the only option for a permanent relationship. It never even occurred to me to be an option until I was in love with both Victor and Javec years ago. Before that, I knew of the Andorian quads and other cultural procedures for marriage and procreation, but I’d never contemplated anything other than ONE person for me. Then, I was suddenly in love with two different men for two different reasons, and I only broke things off with Victor to protect him, otherwise who knows, I may now be married to two men.” Enyd sighed.

Truthfully, it never would’ve worked out; Enyd knew that. Javec hadn’t been so keen on sharing her with Victor, and she doubted Victor would’ve been interested in celebrating holidays with the Cardassian.

“And you’re right. Until I talk with Alistair, this is all hypothetical. While I know, or at least I have an inkling, of how Drauc feels on the subject, Alistair is the great unknown. Being non-telepathic, I am already feeling my palms sweat at the thought of broaching this topic with him. He would have every right to call me all sorts of names and throw me out of his quarters once I tell him that while I was throwing myself at him to drink him into my very soul, I was sitting in the waiting area of curiosity with Drauc after having experienced a similarly overwhelming reaction to the Romulan. I mean,” Enyd scratched her head with her hands, not caring that her movements caused the mass to fluff up, “how would I feel if the tables were turned? How would I feel if, hypothetically, you and I had been flirting, and then suddenly you told me, by the way, Enyd, I’ve got a thing for Valyn Amarik; how do you feel about that?”

Enyd grew silent and frowned, her focus turned inward as she pondered the very scenario she’d tossed into the air between them. “I’d like to think that while surprised, I would meet with Valyn, to discuss things between the three of us, to establish if I jive with Valyn the way you do and if I found it as agreeable a concept to share you with her as you apparently did just in asking my thoughts on the matter.” Enyd’s eyes widened. “Oh heavens, Zark. That’s what I did! I didn’t even mean to, but I basically propositioned Drauc for a threesome just in asking my questions.” Pushing the cookie plate away and sliding her teacup to the side, Enyd dropped her head to the table again, bouncing it off the hard surface a few times for added penance. “I am such an idiot.”

Zark’s commentary on her shining Alistair’s shaft only had Enyd groaning louder as her head banging continued. The woman’s suggestion of Alistair talking with Drauc had two effects. It brought a fresh wave of anxiety into her gut and back the earlier images of Drauc and Alistair taking turns with her. Then when Zark latched onto her earlier comment about vids, Enyd’s groan turned into a barked growl as she pushed away from the table. She could no longer sit still.

“Yes, there are videos of our performance on stage. And there are videos of my dance, Klar’s too, and there are videos of my ravishing poor Alistair on the couch.” Enyd unsheathed her sword and began a series of drills, desperately wanting to DO something to fight against this feeling of no control over her love life. “If I were more skilled at nefarious antics, I’d want to go back to the theater and delete their copies, because that’s more than a little disconcerting, knowing that Alistair and I are not the only ones to have these videos. But, alas, I am only skilled in being a royal screw-up in romance and in attracting chaos to what should be simple matters, so any attempt to infiltrate the theater to delete the files by me would only end up as a diplomatic incident and, knowing my luck, I’d somehow trigger the entire planet to explode.”

Twisting on her toes, Enyd conducted a series of sparring moves directly away from Zark and the table. The sword really was a work of art, and Enyd once more reminded herself that the next sparring session with Frank should also feature many hugs of gratitude for all his hard work. Pivoting on her toes, Enyd did another set of moves perpendicular to her first. It felt good to be moving and following through with things that she knew how to do without screwing up, acting on movements that she could control. And the feeling of the kilt swishing around her legs was a bonus.

Coming to the end of the second line, Enyd turned again and spoke to Zark as she moved through the third set of sparring moves in a trajectory back toward the table, “Do you want to watch the videos?”

At this point, Enyd figured there was no point in keeping the videos secret. Sure, watching how sexy Alistair could be could influence Zark's interactions with the man later, or in seeing the absolute beauty that was Klar dancing with a pole could induce the Andorian to hunt him down to have her wicked way with him, but selfishly the thought of Zark also being affected by the circumstances she'd lived through the night before brought a strange sense of comfort to Enyd. "I have them on a PADD in my quarters. Just say the word, and we can eat ice cream and relive the night together."

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #22 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark looked incredulously at Enyd as the hypothetical that came out.  Her, Enyd, and Valyn? That would be a very crowded bed indeed.  On the other hand, it took a bit to fit herself in those shoes.  Mostly because, while she respected Valyn immersible for unspecified and classified reasons, she did quite get the lovely vibe that Enyd just seemed to radiate, so thinking that she could have a thing for the Romulan Intel Officer took some doing.  Luckily, Zark wasn't required to give any answers on that one as the confused brunette continued to spin on her own and Zark nodded along as she sat, drank tea, and absorbed everything coming out of the confused heart in front of her.  Zark knew Enyd was smart since she reached a conclusion very quickly which amounted to a group sit down to discuss what was going on.  The open look she had on her face though quickly changed to confusion, when her friend began to ramble about having propositioned Drauc for a threesome during what was supposed to be a fact finding discussion.  The Andorian felt herself leaning against the opposite arm rest and began rubbing her temple.  This was the more appropriate response since Enyd was getting flustered by what she'd done, and she might not appreciate the alternative response her friend had, that being to fall over laughing her guts out at the absurdity of what Enyd had just pulled off.  Still, the response was a much better segue to what came next.

The Security Officer could only stare incredulously at the admission of video tapes.  Not only was there copies of the Acting CDO getting it on with the Operations man, but she had also gotten a copy of the 'performance' and kept it.  Zark admitted to herself that she did quite a bit with regards to the the carnal pleasure, not as much as Faye would pull off, but it was still an act that would have had recorded.  The old Earth term of Budoir was one thing.  Watching oneself in the throes of passion was something else entirely for the Andorian.  She'd never really considered it, but that was usually because she was too busy getting to the throes and passion part to think about recording what was going on.  Zark wanted to pat Enyd on the back, but she was soon becoming more concerned with the banging of the head on table for causing more damage to a recently repaired head.  "Uhmmm Enyd, I don't think that's gonna help." Thankfully, the dead drumming stopped, but Zark still couldn't get in a word edge wise as she watched the Celtic Princess vault to her feet and pull her sword with the sound of singing metal.  This caused the medic some worry, but not much in the way of alarm as she was pretty sure Enyd wasn't searching for anything to destroy on purpose.  It was actually relaxing to watch the practice moves since the human wasn't banging her cranium against a solid object and was actually working to vent her frustration in a constructive manner.  Which left her totally unprepared to be offered to watch Enyd rubbing herself all over Alistair.  Zark only realized she'd been shocked when the tea cup she was holding shattered on the ground and the Andorian jumped in her seat. "Oh Shelat." The medico cursed as she stepped out of the way and several maids came rushing in to clean the mess.  Zark turned a glare on the offending diplomat.  "Enyd, you can't just drop an offer on someone like that out of nowhere!  Not unless you want pointers on what you're doing in the heat of the moment!"

Zark huffed for a moment as she crossed her arms under her chest and let herself stew for a moment.  Mentally she counted to ten before continuing.  "Look. Enyd. I appreciate the offer to watch you get it on with Alistair, but given the way I am and how last time we had ice cream and booze, I will get a nasty case of wandering hands, then try a repeat performance. Given how complicated your situation is, I'm not sure you could do with the orientation confusion." With that, she stood up and took a moment to walk to the fire and stared into it before turning on her feet to face her friend again. "Enyd. Affairs of the heart are always difficult to deal with.  You've been brought up to believe that a partnering is one male, one female.  That doesn't make it easy when your heart is pulled in so many directions at once.  Without the cultural baggage that comes with multiple partners, it's just not easy to accept, and I think you've had some sort of awakening here on Qo'nos that you've been denying for a while, and only learning come to terms with now."  Zark played with the hem of her kilt for a moment. "The thing is, I'm personally okay if the three of us talked it out, but I'm quite open about these things when asked.  So I'd say you're not an idiot, just very new to the experience, and you kinda blabbered your way through it."  She gave her friend a re-assuring smile.  "It's definitely easier to work with when you know who you are and accept it."

Zark walked back to the table to pick up the newly provided tea cup and took a sip of the dark brew. "Maybe you're an all or nothing kind of person, never really thought about it before, but you're offered all the options, and try to go for all of them?  Kinda seems that way since you do tend to go for broke and do push the limits."  One more sip and back went the cup.  Zark turned on her heels and went to the fire place.  Multiple swords were on display, and she grabbed a green leather handle and pulled a jian out of the scabbard.  "Maybe staring death in the face too often has kicked off something physiological in you that's also leading you to making these choice."  Zark swung the sword a couple of times in a figure eight, then began wind milling her arms and body to loosen up.  "Then again, there is a way to find out."  The sword armed Andorian marched to Enyd's side and took up a position on her flank.  "By the way, when this is over, remind me to tell you talk to Lieutenant Anh-Le in Intel.  She's a computer whiz and can help you delete the files without blowing up the planet.  Girl will probably do it in her pyjamas from her bed."  Zark smiled in memory at a the previous outing with the Orion.

The doors to the Great Hall suddenly burst open and various armed retainers burst in stabbing the footmen by the doors.  Blood gushed out in a macabre spray all over the walls.  Caitlin, Ewan and Clyde backed up towards Enyd and Zark, suddenly brandishing Longswords and snarling.  A loud female voice suddenly boomed from the outside "Lady Enyd Madsen!  This is Mary! Queen of the Scots!  You are charged with usurpation of the clan seat of Clan McLeod!  You will lay down your arms, and surrender!"

"Told ya you'd need the sword, plus it's not supposed to hurt too much if they hit you." Zark told Enyd as she placed her sword in an overhead ready position.  Zark looked doubtful for a moment. "At least that's what I was told."

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #23 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Holodeck 03 | D. 21 | V. 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker

“Thea, pause program please.”

Enyd took her gaze from the inevitable fight and stared at Zark with a mixture of dismay and shame. While subconsciously, she’d been aware of the Andorian’s attraction, she’d never allowed herself to dwell on it. Now that Zark had gone and named the proverbial elephant in the room, Enyd was NOT about to move past it with a glib remark and take out her frustration on a holographic depiction of Queen Mary. Zark deserved more than that, even if the woman would never say as much.

“Zark,” Enyd wanted to reach for her friend, to physically reassure her, but she also didn’t want to make things more complicated by creating more temptation or confusion. “I doubt you expect an apology for me, but I want to offer one. Looking back at this outing, I recognize I monopolized the conversation and twisted everything to be about my relational crisis without regard for how you might feel about it. You arranged for us to share this moment together, the two of us, with me accepting a gift from your heart, and Frank’s at that, and with us defeating that foe.” Enyd used the tip of her sword to point at Mary and crones, her cheeks flushed with shame. “I commandeered the moment and dragged you into something you probably don’t really want to know much about. And I am deeply sorry for doing that. It was selfish and immature of me.”

Enyd moved forward then and reached out, taking hold of Zark’s free hand and holding it tightly in her own. She felt a lump in the back of her throat, and when she spoke, her voice was husky with her efforts to hold back tears.

“I also wanted to apologize for my lack of respect. It was unintentional, but I do feel I have not respected you the way you deserve. Through booze, fun, and physical comfort, you’ve helped me process a lot already, and I have not thanked you enough for that. You have been such a friend, the type one rarely gets, and that should be treasured as priceless.” Enyd pulled Zark’s hand up and pressed a warm kiss against the blue skin. “I noted the attraction but ignored it, and that was not appropriate. My love for you, my affection for you,” she squeezed Zark’s hand after pressing another quick kiss to it, “does not confuse me, and neither has anything you’ve offered in return. While I do not see myself as bisexual, I also do not feel repulsed by anything you’ve said or done. And if you don’t mind blatant honesty, I also do not feel confused or repulsed at the concept of physical intimacy with you if you ever needed that from me. Because it is YOU. You are Zark and you are precious to me. And I am so very sorry I didn’t take the time to tell you that earlier. That I subjected you to all that angst and silliness without first reassuring you of who you are to me and how much I value you.”

Enyd lifted an eyebrow as she watched Zark, “We good?”

Re: Day 12 [1615 hrs] The Fightin Fashionistas of the Gloamin

Reply #24 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Zark was dismayed at the program being paused, and her sword arm came down as she turned towards Enyd and raised a platinum eyebrow.  She was gonna get some sword swinging in!  Still, if Enyd paused the program, there was a good reason, which came spilling out in short order and the Zhen's eyes misted at what amounted to an apology for ignoring her feelings towards the brunette.  Zark didn't really need it she's thought, but obviously her eyes decided otherwise. The sound of metal clanging on the ground rang out as the Andorian took a moment to drop the holographic sword since holdings Enyd's hand was much nicer as she wiped the tear.  "Enyd, you don't have anything to apologize for. Oh Damnit!"  The Andorian cursed as she wiped away a few more tears.  "That's not fair!  I'm supposed to be the one helping you through all the emotional turmoil.  You're not supposed to be inflicting it on me!"

Zark took a moment to reign in her emotions on this, though this proved a little harder than she thought as some tears insisted on leaking out anyway.  Maybe I'm not totally reconciled to that choice yet. The Andorian thought to herself as she wiped away a last few tears. Zark offered a crooked smiled as she held onto both of the human's soft warm hands. "Enyd, I love you too, and I really want to take you up on that offer, but."   Zark sucked in her lips for a moment and she wondered if this was the right course to take. "The thing is, well, there was a human term that I picked up at the Academy, and well, you're just about as straight as they come."  Zark's hands gripped onto Enyd's with a little more pressure almost as if the physical pressure would help get the point through.  "Listening to you talk about Alistair and Drauc.  I simply don't stand a chance for that sort of passion in any encounter.  Faye very happily swings for either sex, and in your case, as much as I want to, I'd feel like I'm forcing myself on you, and I couldn't do that." 

Zark suddenly let go of Enyd's hands and began waving them in front of her as her eyes opened wide as her confusion high speed vomited out what the Andorian was thinking. "I mean, you're still an absolutely lovely person, and really very attractive, and of course we'd still be friends, and if there was a time and place for, I'd gladly take you to bed and screw your brains out, really more than friends after that and oh Shelat! I've really put my foot in it now!"  The surprised Zhen fumbled about. Apparently this whole human courting thing wasn't easy as part of Zark's mind laughed at her while the rest reeled and flailed in confusion.

When instinct took over, it was hard to decide afterwards if something done had been the right decision, and Zark was sure she'd never figure out what factors led her hands to rise and gently grip the human's jaw, close her eyes, and plant a kiss on Enyd's lips.  All she knew was there were alarms were blaring and crowds cheering in her head as she savoured the moment anyway while praying that Enyd would still be her friend, and didn't push her away or punch her in the face afterwards.
 
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