Surprise (Sort of) Part 2

Posted on Mon Sep 1st, 2025 @ 3:33am by Ensign Iozhara & Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus & Lieutenant JG Leilani & Ensign Kash th'Kaasniik & Ensign Dani Harper & Civillian Samuel Wynters
Edited on on Mon Sep 1st, 2025 @ 1:43pm

1,375 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie II
Location: Paddy's Loft / Ten Forward, Deck 10
Timeline: MD007

She shifted her weight, letting the ambient noise of the room pool around her. "Still," she added, "there's a difference between walking into unknown territory and deciding to stay there. Her fingers brushed the seam of her tunic as though she were checking herself for damage. "One is curiosity. The other..." She trailed off, smiling faintly. She met Osirin's gaze again, swiping a lock of auburn hair behind an ear. "There other is survival."

His smile faded marginally before snapping back. "I've gone the survival route once or twice. It was... less than pleasant."

He didn't shift forward, but he didn't step back either. His eyes were focused on her. Not in a predatory way, but an open one. "I prefer curiosity. It holds the most promise and the least risk."

"Wouldn't you agree?"

She let her gaze rest on him again, steadier now. "Yes," she admitted. "Curiosity has a better story to tell. Survival only writes epilogues." Her hand lifted briefly, imagining she might trace the line of his jaw to underline the point, but instead she let it fall, brushing her tunic seam again--cartographer of her own map.

"Osirin," she mused, "it sounds like we have a few things in common.""

Osirin's grin never faltered. He was enjoying himself. It had been a while since he'd flirted with a woman. At least he assumed that what they were doing was flirting. Innocent fun. Somewhere in the back of his mind, little alarm bells were going off. He'd discussed things with Kash, agreed he'd restrain himself. But that was a difficult promise to keep. His gregarious nature was almost part of his DNA.

"We do indeed. Perhaps we could discuss those things over drinks or dinner. After the party, of course."

The noise around them swelled again--singing, laughter, someone calling for a round of shots--but it all blurred to a wash of sound. She tilted her head, a strand of auburn hair sliding forward to shadow one cheek.

"Dinner later, hm?" she said, her voice lower now, meant for him and not the room. "I don't know about you, but I've never been good at waiting." Her gaze wandered over his shoulder, toward the door and the noise beyond it, then back to him--green eyes catching hers like tide pools along a rocky shoreline at dawn. "There's always a quiet place, if you know where to look. And I'd rather not lose this thread before we've pulled it a little."

She smiled then, not coy but earnest. "One drink. Just us. Now."

He cocked his head to one side, then nodded. "One drink."

The relief that broke over her was small but undeniable. She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been holding her breath until he said it--one drink.

“Good,” she murmured, as if the word itself could anchor them against the tide of chatter around them. She touched his sleeve lightly, a point of contact that didn’t ask permission but didn’t take too much, either, then turned toward the door.

Her green eyes lingered on him. Tonight, she didn’t need answers as much as she needed the company of someone who saw her for who she is.

Akadians were all about touching, sometimes more, but that touching, at least on his world, required consent. Otherwise, it could lead to sharing at a very personal and intimate level. Emotions, even thoughts, could come in unfiltered. That was especially true with his shielding teetering on the edge of failure.

He didn't pull away, though he hesitated for a beat. He allowed himself to be pulled away, just noticing Kash's profile in his peripheral vision.

Dani didn't like to arrive at parties alone. Or at least that was the excuse she told Kash when she asked if he'd go with her. She knew it wasn't a date, at least not yet. They'd been flirty a few times, and she was curious to see if she could tempt him into something more.

"C'mon, let's get something to drink," Dani said, urging Kash toward the bar. Kash followed suit, scanning the crowd for any of their friends.

"Can I get a Hurricane please - New Orleans style, not Orion," Dani asked when the bartender walked over to take their order.

"What's that? I'll have the same," Kash asked not really hearing what Dani had ordered. He was distracted by Osirin's presence at the other end of the bar. "Do you know that girl?" Kash asked. "The one with Osirin?"

Dani looked over her shoulder to see what Kash was talking about. "Mm-mm" she said, shaking her head. "Medical maybe? I've seen her around, but I don't know who she is."

At the far end of the room, Iozhara and Osirin moved toward the doorway. The laughter and clatter of glasses rose and fell like waves in a busy harbour, but in the middle of it all, Iozhara had leaned closer to Osirin. Her hand had come to rest on his sleeve--lightly but definitely there. It was the sort of gesture that indicated interest--or to lay claim to him in some way.

While he could have simply replicated the finished drinks, Samuel believed that one of the lost arts of bartending, was actually putting on the show of making the drinks. In the time he had been on Astrea, his bar has cone to be known as one of the best spots for a live show. And he loved it.

After tossing the bottles around expertly, pouring an ounce here, a few ounces there, mixing the various ingredients together, then pouring the finished beverage into the perfect container to serve it in, before finally placing each requested drink in front of each of his customers.

"One New Orleans Hurricane for you, Dani," he said with a grin, then he placed an identical down to Dani's left. "And one for you, Kash. Enjoy ladies." He gave them both a happy grin.

"Thanks, Sam," Dani said with a grin as she brought the straw to her lips and took in a long drink of the fruity beverage.

Kash looked at the brightly colored drink that had been placed in front of him with some skepticism. "What did I just order?" He asked.

"It's good, just try it," Dani coaxed.

"So you knew Osirin before Astrea right?" She asked. "Your Academy exchange program wasn't it?"

Dani had noticed that Kash had seemed distracted watching the Akadian exchange officer leave with the attractive woman.

Kash's antennae twitched nervously at Dani's inquiry, both lengthening and reflexively scanning the room.

"Ah, you could say that," Kash replied. He looked more into his drink than at her when he answered, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a deep swallow, draining almost a third of the glass.

"We were close," he admitted as he put the drink back down on the bar.

"Oh, I didn't know tha--" Dani stopped herself as a glimmer of recognition crossed her face along with mild disappointment as she realized her chances with him were looking less and less likely.

"Oh, you were close," she repeated back. "I didn't know. Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"Not really," Kash said shaking his head as he pushed himself away from the bar and stood up. "We came here to have fun. Let's go find the others."

Dani painted a smile on her face for the crowd, she was good at that. "You got it. One night of fun, coming right up."

---

Samuel Wynters
Proprietor
Paddy's Loft
Plain Shirt

NPC: Spello

Ensign Iozhara
Nurse
USS Astrea


Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acaincus
Mission Advisor
USS Astrea


Ensign Kash th'Kaasniik
Operations Officer
USS Astrea


Ensign Dani Harper
Science Officer
USS Astrea

 

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