Explorations and misunderstandings

Posted on Thu Oct 8, 2015 @ 5:50pm by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

2,531 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Box of Delights
Timeline: MD4 6.45pm

::ON::

Cade had specifically mentioned this place and with all the traffic he feared was about to come in, Liam felt it upon himself to warn and introduce himself to some of the bars on the stations propeitiers. He might as well while he was exploring the promenade.

The place had a "certain air" about it. Liam could see why his Trill friend, and Amia actually liked it. Looking round he could almost picture himself playing his piano "Betsy" here. Well if she ever arrived. He stood awkwardly trying to tune out the barrage of emotions from the plentiful punters as tried to determine who exactly to speak too.

"You're looking lost, sweetie" A voice said behind him. A truly statueasque woman, taller than him by several inches, gave him a warm smile. She was shaped and proportioned like most humanoids. Except she was violet from head to toe. Her hair was a darker shade of the same colour. Her eyes however, were white. Completely white from edge to edge.

Liam winced visibly as the word "Sweetie" was issued. Memories of Haku and that being the pet name he used to have for her flowed freely in his mind forcing him to remember the mess that currently existed purely of his own making.

"Oh I am good at getting lost," he smiled at her recovering. He wasn't exactly sure of the race but would have to look it up. "Erm please could you not call me sweetie? Bad memories around that word," he asked softly. "Its Liam. I'm the stations new diplomat." He held his hand out to shake hers.

"And you are?"

"You can call me Yolanthe, sugarplum." One of the waiters glided by and handed her a padd, whilst balancing an enormous tray of empties one handed before dissapearing back into the crowd. "Welcome to my humble establishment. Can I get you a drink?"

"That would be lovely thank you. What would you suggest?" he asked.

She put a head on one side and looked him up and down, the violet taking on a pale pink tone over her entire body. "You look like someone who would appreciate something rugged. Maybe an Old Fashioned, perhaps a Black Russian."

"Ahh. Me and Russians," Liam commented, rapidly trying to push images of his white haired, part Russian ex out of his mind. "Let's just say I tend to get in trouble there. Do you have a nice Betaziod wine perhaps. Something safer?"

"I can get you something safer." She steered him towards the bar and installed him on a bar stool while she took a bottle from the ice troughs where the chilled wines were kept and poured him a generous glass.

"So Yolanthe," Liam said after taking a sip of the glass he was handed. Uttaberry wine. It tasted like home he thought. One of them. "I thought it best to pay you a visit. I am sure you have not failed to notice the planet that has just appeared?"

"Actually, I haven't" She smiled and leaned over a bit on the bar to bring her eyeline down to his. "Its all anyone's talking about, but I've not actually got to one of the observation lounges to take a look. Its the big draw right now. Everyone wants to take a look."

"Indeed. It's causing Starfleet quite the headache. We have a lot of people interested in and trying to lay claim to that planet and they are going to be landing at the station in the next couple of weeks. Of which then, my team have the job of trying to get everyone talking and on the same page so to speak. Which will certainly be interesting," he added honestly.

"You're, as far as I can determine from my friend Cade "the best place in town". I think it likely our political delegations will discover this fact. They are likely to get bored waiting around until we can get a summit up and running. I hope that won't cause any issues?" Liam doubted it would. She was a business women and she hardly looked like she needed any help with unruly Klingons etc. In fact she looked like she could handle herself quite nicely.

Her skin turned periwinkle blue at the compliment. "I doubt it will cause any issues, and if anyone starts anything, Harry and I usually have it covered," She nodded towards the enormous Gorn that glowered over the huge entryway.

Liam hadn't noticed the Gorn. How could he have missed that? he mused. What was interesting was she completely changed colour. He sensed the pride and happiness at his statement about her establishment being good. Perhaps her emotions were linked to what colour she was. How interesting.

"Yeah no one will be bothering you with Harry on the case," he agreed. "Could I ask that maybe you drop me a comm. if you do have any "incidents"."

The blue faded to a much more washed out hue. "Honey, take a look around. Do you see any cameras in here?"

Liam blinked rapidly at the sudden change in attitude. She seemed to be misunderstanding his motives. He barely managed to shake his head before she informed him.

"That's becuase what happens in my bar, stays in my bar. As far as I'm concerned, the Romulan Praetor could be doing body shots off the Klingon Chancellor and I wouldn't mention it. If there's anything happens in here, unless someone else decides to talk to the press, you won't here it from me, my staff or my boys."

"Yolanthe I think you misunderstand me. We are on the same side here and its no slight on your establishments integrity or discression. I only asked in case I had to come a drunk Politian back to quarters and save face for them. It's not just what happens in your bar, its what they do after they leave it too. I was just trying to help."

Liam sighed, "I have obviously taken up enough of your time and apologise if I have inadvertently upset you."

She gave him a smile, but the blue had turned to a dark mustard as he explained his reasoning. "But I'm not on your side, sugarplum, I'm on mine. I'm here to make my customers, all my customers, feel good. Not to tattle tale on grown ups who get to make their own mistakes."

Liam bowed slightly. "Got you loud and clear. I'll bid you good day then."

Liam rose and dropped what he owed for the drink and a tip, onto the bar.

She put a buttercup yellow hand over his, and he could feel her irritation and frustration. It was at odds with the calm polite smile she had. "First one's on the house."

Liam winced for a moment as her emotionals hitting him. He was intent of just getting the hell out of there but instead decided against it at the last minute. He wouldn't be a very good diplomat if he couldn't even make it out of one of the bars messing things up with one conversation, "Thank you," he pulled a face from the pain that was eminating through him at the moment.

"Look I'm an empath. I really don't understand why you are so mad at me. Its like your emotions are hitting me like darts right now, right here," he pointed at his stomach. "And all I asked you to do was give me a heads up if any of the political parties imminent did anything they would expect me to make sure was swept away. I'm not even interested in the particulars. I just need them all bushy eyed and not at each others throats in the summit."

He said down suddenly completely deflated. "This was a mistake. Coming into a place where theres lots of people. Infact you know what the whole thing. Being a diplomat on betazed is easy. Everyones so open they know everything anyway and don't care. This is a mindfield. Oh to be a counselor again." he sighed.

Her skin blushed peach then rippled into a pale silvery grey, a touch of shock and self reproach and then a little sadness. "Oh darling, I didn't mean to hurt you. I know you're new here, did you freinds not tell you about all the hassle I've had from starfleet?"

"No," Liam blinked slightly as he mentally tried to rebuild his shields. He had forgot just how many people were on a space station. "All I got told is your the best place in town. Why? What's Starfleet been hassling you about?"

"Well, I've had security breathing down my neck for most of the time I've been here, for a variety of reasons, and every few months something happens and the answer always seem to be blame the bartender. And I can see how you want to do a good job, but think about it? Who's going to be honest with a diplomat who's trying to spy on them. Even for good reasons."

Liam actually managed a small laugh. "Oh Yolanthe come on. There's more of stupid than sleuth about me! I didn't even spot the Gorn coming in," he said incredulously looking over hoping he hadn't heard him. He was a big Gorn.

"A sad James Bond I would make," He referenced some early Earth novels his granddad as fond of. "All you have here is a stupid, heartbroken from his split with Haku to the point where he can't even drink a Black Russian any more, pathetic and a just realising he's some what overwhelmed from a change in career choice Liam."

"Darling, its not about your capacity. Its about what I sell. And I sell privacy just as much as I sell martinis. I know you mean well, but telling people what to do with their own businesses, or even following people around like a disapproving matron mother isn't how you do it."

"Your right. My hearts in the right place but I totally went about things the wrong way. Why not just give each delegate a list of the bars and say to them comm. me if you get in any trouble. Its so much simpler if you think about it and we wouldn't have had that ridiculous .... whatever that was. Misunderstanding," he said hopefully. She could still think him a spy if she liked. Actually that was kind of cool if you thought about it but he really wanted to get things back on track. There were too many women who were mad at him in his life right now. He really didn't want another one.

"That's better. Not interfereing. And you might want to chat to security, if you want an official eye on people, they're the ones to talk to."

"I haven't met security yet. I have a meeting soon. You know to organise quarters and all the other stuff you need to babysit the people coming in. But its not the bar tenders fault. I could try use my crappy diplomatic skills to tell them that if you like?" he offered.

She shook her head. "I think as far as security are concerned, the less they are reminded about me the better."

Liam nodded. He waited a little longer to see if she was going to share anything further. He got the feeling there was something a little bit more there. She had actually brought it up so it must bother her.

"Feeling better? No more worrying about your job?"

"About the emotions yes thanks." Liam answered. "Its all about learning to maintain a higher level of mental and emotional shields again. When I was on betazed its different and the runabout over here, well it was small. Stepping on to the station with the thousands and thousands of people was after so long, was a shock to the system again. My job, well we'll see I guess. I suppose as with anything your going to have the good and the bad days? I think I am going to be learning a lot as I go." he said honestly.

"How long have you lived on the station?" He asked suddenly. "I think the culture shock of station to ships going to be fun to acclimatise too as well."

"Nearly two years." Her body flashed through a serious of colours, greys and blues and dark yellows and red and purples. "They've been very interesting. IF you're hoping for a quiet posting, you may want to resign right now."

"Nope. I am hoping for something that keeps me busy. I need to get over my ex, and iron out a whole load of other personal things. Cade, the XO I mean is, probably my best friend in the Universe. I thought I had applied here and got lucky on such little experience but he requested me, apparently. I doubt he would let me resign. I can't let my friend down or Amia,"

At the mention of Amia, her eyebrows drew together sligthly, "You know the Doctor." The frown grew deeper and her expression became slightly vacant. With her eyes completely white it was hard to tell what she was looking at. "She menetioned a Haku the other day. Didn't you just say that you knew a Haku?"

"Yeah. My half Russain Ex. Amia knew her too. We all served on the Nimitz together." Liam said.

"I think you should go talk to her." Yolanthe said slowly, pondering her own advice. The doctor had been so distraught at the lack of memories. But that had been a private conversation. "I think sh'ed like that."

"Somethings wrong isn't it?" Liam said suddenly. He didn't need to read between the lines of that. "I haven't seen her yet but for you to say that, tip that my way after what we just talked about then somethings definitely not right. You're the sort of women who doesn't give anything away unless its important."

To think about things, Cade had said very little about his wife when they had caught up upon his arrival. But then Cade being nonchalant was normal. One of his defence mechanisms.

"Don't yell at me again please. I know you can't tell me. I'll just go to her,"

Yolanthe cupped his face with a hand for a second now a grey blue colour as saw his distress. "I'm not going to yell at you. You should go. There was an...incident yesterday, when the planet emerged. She needs all the familiar things she can get."

"She can't remember things?" Liam could only rationalise as he was unaware of any incident Amia had been in. Cade hadn't said a word. "Right I'm on it."

He set off but almost as quickly as he left returned back to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. It was gone as soon as he did it. There was of course still a huge Gorn in that room and she had been angry at him earlier.

"Thank you," he said softly.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Shoo!"

::OFF::

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
CDO

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, The Box of Delights

 

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