Self Defense - Yolanthe Style

Posted on Sun Aug 30, 2020 @ 12:18pm by Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin
Edited on on Sun Aug 30, 2020 @ 12:25pm

807 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Et In Arcadia Ego
Location: The Box of Delights
Timeline: MD06 1800

[ON]

Alanna was in the middle of dinner when the Romulan and his friends sat down. It was a mixed group, two Boslics, a ktarian and the Romulan, talking quietly about travel into the Romulan empire. The Romulan's hair was loose, falling to his shoulders, almost as long as Sovok's had been. They sat down at the table diagonally opposite to Alanna, with the Romulan facing her. He caught her eye, smiled a brief acknowledgment, and then turned to his companions. He wasn't Sovok, but he did look like him.

The resemblance gave Alanna a jolt. Sovok was dead. It had been eight months since she watched Jason kill him, she shouldn't be reacting like this to a Romulan. She flashed the Romulan a smile, all the while chastising herself for her reaction.

"You okay?" Yolanthe was standing next to Alanna, a tray of empty glasses in her hands.

"Yes," she replied automatically, then looked at Yolanthe and gave her a sheepish smile. "Just...memories. I guess I'm not as over it as I thought."

The Bokkai paused. She had pieced together various bits of scuttlebutt from the whispers. She knew that Alanna had been taken. The rumours suggested that other things had happened too. "I met Klia when we were on a ship together. Some entitled prick assumed that because she was a young pretty Orion, she was part of the entertainment and he should help himself."

She turned to face Alanna, subtly putting herself between the chief science officer and the Romulan. "I pulled the trash off her, kneed him in the useful parts, and told him to piss off. It took her a while to recover too. Doesn't happen straight away. It takes time, and help of varying degrees. I could get her to talk to you, if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to mandatory counseling right now. If that doesn't work, I'll let you know." She was grateful to Yolanthe for the offer. "I'm working a lot and that helps."

"How much is a lot?" Yolanthe didn't know much about councelling, but barmen picked up things. And obsession was just trading one problem for another.

"I only just started with the new counselor. I'm seeing her two or thee times a week. Before then, I spent sixty or seventy hours a week in science. Or I'd be down on Pangaea exploring."

Yolanthe raised an eyebrow. She was no counselor. Afterall, most of her clients found their oblivion at the bottom of a bottle. But she knew it wasn't helping. "I'm not going to say running from things won't help, because..." The violet had grayed out to something approaching smoke, "Well I'm not. But there are other choices too. Things more active than just ignoring it and hoping it will go away."

"You're right. I'm just not so great at those," Alanna admitted. "I didn't even kill the bastard when I had the chance. I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to get out of the compound alive. I still wonder if I made the right decision. Maybe if I had..." She shook her head. She felt partially responsible for Jason's anger.

"Maybe's don't help. Sometimes nothing you can do will have changed things." The grey got a little darker. Then Yolanthe sighed. "All you can do is take steps so you're more ready if it happens again."

She nodded. "You're right." She just wasn't sure what steps she wanted to take -- or was willing to.

"Starfleet teaches you how to fight properly, doesn't it?"

"Yes. Martial arts, hand-to-hand. Some choose to take boxing as well."

"Boxing is not proper fighting. Too many rules." Yolanthe snorted. "But I don't think you took it anyway. Did you?"

Alanna chuckled and shook her head. "No. Not really my style."

"You know. I've broken up a lot of brawls. I know a thing or two, if you need a refresher. Especially where it comes to grabby men."

She remembered a fight with a certain grabby man on the station. And if Jason moved down to Pangaea... "You know, that wouldn't be a bad idea." She grinned at Yolanthe. "I'm sure you know a few tricks Starfleet doesn't teach and I could use them."

"Probably." Yolanthe admitted. "Where I come from we certainly don't have Queenbury Rules. When would you like to start?"

"My schedule is flexible right now. What works for you?"

Yolanthe thought about it. "Come by tomorrow at lunch? Wear something comfortable, but that you don't mind getting ripped."

Alanna thought over her schedule for the next day in case she forgot something. "I'll be here."


[OFF]

Seems like a good place to finish and picj up the lesson in a new post.

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights

Lieutenant Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space 5

 

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