Dinner to Thank the Lifesavers, Part 2

Posted on Tue Jan 19, 2016 @ 9:24am by Commander Caden Aldrex & Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Commander Amia Telamon M.D. & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

3,368 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: XO's quarters
Timeline: MD06 1930

[PREVIOUSLY]

Liam turned to the Trill again. "Cade, can I ask a favour? Might you have some time next week to come help me move my piano Betsy? I spoke with the quartermaster and she came in at the weekend on a Betazed ship and is now in one of our cargo bays, so he's going to beam her to my quarters all packed up."

"Again with the piano, Liam? Why couldn't you have taken up the harmonica?"

[ON]

Liam grinned at the Trill. He had made that joke more than once. "I'll bare it in mind for the next instrument I decide to learn. So is that a yes?"

"Yes, of course. Maybe I can even find some burly security guys to help." He glanced over at Yolanthe as she did her work and absently wondered how much she could lift.

"I'm no stronger than a human. I jsut work out. If you need heavy lifters, swing by the Box later and talk to Harry. He can probably bench a shuttlecraft."

Amia didn't know whether to open the wedding gift now or wait until they had eaten. She decided in favour of the gift first and, with a huge hug for Liam to thank him for getting it for them, she carefully tore into the beautifully wrapped parcel.

"Liam I had no idea you were so artistic with wrappings and bows!" she exclaimed. "It seems a shame to undo it all." The ribbons came off first, then the paper, gently so as to give full effect to the gift. Somehow, Amia got the idea that Yolanthe disapproved but she wasn't sure why and misunderstood it to be the gift itself, even though she had no idea what was in there. ~Perhaps Yolanthe already knows what it is?~ she wondered, quizzically.

Liam cleared his throat as Amia pulled the box from the wrappings and looked it over, "Its authentically hand carved tika wood from Bajor, blessed by a Vedek," he tried desperately to remember what Tera had told him. "A newly wed blessing and round the side are scenes of a marriage ceremony." As Yolanthe handed him a drink he absently took a sip and started coughing at the strength of it. "Wow," he smiled at her getting his breath back. "Thank you."

Cade stood behind Amia with his hands on her shoulders, looking down at the gift. "It's beautiful, Liam. Thank you." Liam was an ace at giving thoughtful gifts. He accepted his own drink from Yolanthe and, seeing how it had affected the counselor, started with a gentle sip.

Amia, still gazing at the beautiful gift in awe and fascination, taking in and pointing at all the detail, piece by piece, accepted her *martini* and without having the sense to have noticed the men's reactions, took a drink. She was naturally the type to sip at something which probably saved her from taking *too* much but it still caught her breath and made her cough.

"OH... my!" she spluttered but then added so as not to offend Yolanthe "This is very ... I haven't had one of these before..... I like it." It might have been strong but to be honest, it certainly *did* taste divine.

"So how are you getting settled in so far, Liam?" Cade asked. "No major bumps other than logistical, I hope?"

"No. I am finding my way around. Met Mortimer who works with me. He's a character. He's knighted did you know. I have a psych appointment tomorrow. That will be an odd one I guess, being on the other side of it. Oh and I actually got asked out for dinner today. I said yes don't worry," he told him.

"By one of the Geisha's?" Yolanthe's tone was pleasant and curious. She sipped her own drink, another Martini, this one cloudy where the others' were clear. The hand around it was relaxed, in a shade of buttercup.

But as she asked him, Liam could hear? feel? a growl come from her. No one else seemed to notice

Liam almost spilt his drink as a spike of was it anger? Jealousy? Disdain or all 3 jumped out at him. It was gone just as fast as it appeared. All he knew, was it was not positive. It was Yolanthe he was sure with that statement. It had to be. He knew Cade and Amia's emotions pretty back to front in all the years they had been friends and worked together. And their emotions lingered. They didn't have control to just whisk them away so quickly. He fixed his eyes on her surprised and confused.

Putting the drink down somewhere safe so not to spill it if any more of her emotions started bouncing at him, he suddenly found he was somewhat annoyed and he felt he had to justify himself to this lady who barely knew him. However he kept his voice just as pleasant and calm as hers. She clearly had an issue with this Lotus Lounge. "By the pretty shop keeper I bought the gift from."

Yolanthe's skin slowly turned from yellow to a pale periwinkle. She toasted him with her glass. "You said yes?"

Liam nodded. "It's just dinner."

She gave him a knowing, maybe even approving, look. "That's how it starts."

"Perhaps. Though this time I think it better I don't go bulldozing in, give it my everything and end up through the wringer. So to me its just dinner," Liam stated firmly. Actually he knew he needed to do this but he was still somewhat freaked out about actually doing this and right now needed a subject change off of him. He wished he hadn't brought it up now.

"Do you have a significant other?" he asked her.

In the space of a heartbeat she went bright red, smoke grey and then settled on an imperial purple much darker than her normal violet tones. Liam was treated to a flood of lust and sadness and love. "Until recently. He was reassigned unexpectedly."

Liam definitely knew he was sensing parts of her now catching all the snippets and in his head he was starting to try match the colours to the emotions. "I'm sorry to hear that," he told her.

Amia was also confused but for a different reason. "I thought all the *Fae* had gone back with their *Queen* and the CO's daughter" she said, more asking a question rather than making a statement.

Liam suddenly sensed Amia's confusion. Her emotions were much stronger than what he was picking up off Yolanthe. He turned and looked at Cade. He had just got here. Her husband knew far more to answer that question than him.

"No one knows their whereabouts," Cade said grimly. He was thinking of Eviess. "We're still looking but..." He shrugged. "A species with the ability to move planets can be anywhere."

Yolanthe sipped her drink. "They came to my world, thousands of years ago. We still have legends from back then, and they all agree on one thing. We wiped them out to the last woman. Maybe if the captain had done the same, she'd still have her daughter. She just took the thing's word that her daughter couldn't be saved by modern medicine. Maybe she didn't want her." Yolanthe shrugged. "She was a great little girl, but Isha had a boy as well."

Liam's neck practically clicked, he turned back to look at Yolanthe that fast. He had not been expecting that and neither from the look on Cade's face was he. "They came to your world?" he asked. "What did they want?"

Yolanthe shrugged. "The legends don't say. The demons took our men and ate our children. Reasons why are lost to time. I don't even know if even that much is true. My people are tribal, and we fight like cats in a sack. We've only ever united as one on a hadful of occaasions. Against the mudskins was the first time. Its like our..." she scraped her brain for any similarities. "our version of Kahless uniting the Klingons. if there's any actual history in it, its been buried under the poetry

"The only legends of the Fae I know go back to King Arthur in England. Supposedly he was crowned in the realm of the Fae and taken to death by four fairy queens to Avalon where he lies under a "fairy hill", until he is needed again," Liam said wispy. "I don't remember mention of any Tera and if its the same lot having visited Earth they didn't take our men or kill our children. But legend said if you ever entered the fairy realm and ate their food you were bound there forever."

"Apparently they get around," Cade said. "One of them appeared to me and Soran as a mythical creature that put Trill's moon in its place." He grunted. "I used to think it was just an old fairy tale but..." he shrugged.

"Perhaps they heard the old legend and thought it could be helpful to try and act as if they initiated it? To make themselves seem more powerful by weaving in a grain of history or known suspicion and making it seem like a fact that suits them?" Amia conjectured thoughtfully. "Dangerous people though, clearly".

"Glad I missed it," Liam quipped. "If they had tried to act out Betazed's legends, either I would have had four beautiful women all talking at me or be surrounded by fire. A really really big fire. The former might not have been too bad but I doubt I would have wanted to witness the later."

"Whats for dinner Amia?" he said changing the subject. "It smells divine."

"Oh, *just* Hasperat...." she grinned.

Yolanthe went a little grey. "Not too spicy for me please. Spicy foods and I aren't the best of friends."

"Don't worry, it's pretty much a Terran version. I'd like to be good enough to make a real Bajoran one but I think this one is leaning more towards Liam's human half." she reassured Yolanthe. "And if you don't like it, there are lots of alternatives. I kinda made a bit of a 'tapas' theme of it with a bit of this and that and some of something else and so on." she shrugged.

"Don't worry, I don't handle spicy stuff to well either," Cade said. "The way she makes it is perfect. Anyone want some music?"

"Always," Liam said happy at the suggestion.

"Computer, how about some soft piano music? Maybe a composition by Jacinto Hohfstadt?" The computer chirped in reply and played a gentle, non-intrusive melody from the artist requested. With that done Cade leaned towards Liam and said, "Playoffs begin soon. If we're lucky maybe we can catch some of it."

"Yes definitely," Liam agreed. "Maybe we can even get a boys night in. Pizza, chips, the game."

Yolanthe sat down at the table. "I don't understand why people want to watch sports by remote. Its not the same as being there."

"Oh I quite agree," Liam said sitting down next to her. "But I doubt we have time to make the journey to Earth and get a ticket for the live games at this stage. Wouldn't look good on me especially as I just got here. Catching it on remote is our only option."

"Why not play then? I'm sure on a station this size there are people to play all manor of games with. Or I have holosuites."

"Well its all about following a team. Not being part of the team you see," Liam tried to explain. He looked at Cade if he wanted to wade in with any more. "Besides I haven't got the build for it. And I get my exercise from running."

"Well I object to it being only available to 'boys'. I'd like a team to support too." Amia huffed. "Although..... Maybe the sound of Yolanthe's holosuites instead might tempt me not to feel that way, especially if you two having a 'boys' night might mean we girls could have an equivalent?" She mused.

"Or.... I kinda like the sound of that place you went to buy the gift." She ran a finger over the top of the beautiful piece lightly. "What do you think Y? Could we replicate our own little Emporium like that one?" the smirk that played at the edges of her lips was twinned to the sparkle in her eyes as she toyed with this.

"The Geisha house?" Yolanthe asked. The question was pleasant enough, but her hair and body turned shades of yellow and sand again. Liam was assaulted by the sense of a nose breaking, the satisfaction of seeing blood of an enemy, and the desire to do it all again. "If I need that I have more than enough programs in my holosuites. I'd be happy to set you up in one."

"Owwww," Liam jumped suddenly his hand going to his nose. The emotion she had projected had been so powerful it actually felt like he had been punched in the nose. "I didn't get the "Piece" from the geisha house. I got it from the jewellery shop next door. What is your problem with this geisha house?" Liam asked Yolanthe suddenly.

She looked at him in surprise, pale turquoise for a moment. then she went yellow again, her hair pale as heated steel, her skin almost neon. "They drugged one of my boys," she said calmly, "And put him to stud. Without his permission."

Her voice had said his, but her mind had all but screamed my. And then there had been more sensation, this time of fibres, tough and woody digging tight into flesh, biting down at wrists and ankles. The sensation rode on a wave of rage at being helpless, powerless. rage at being impotent. Again

It was too much for Liam the wave of what followed and the words. He suddenly had several flashbacks to what had happened nearly a year ago. He had been drugged. He had been helpless and pinned down and it certainly hadn't been with his permission. He could see the other him staring down at him clear as day for a moment and the other "Hurin."

Pushing his chair back, Liam stood up quickly. "Excuse me. I just need a minute," he headed to Cade and Amia's bathroom making sure not to say the words, "To shut you out," out loud. He didn't even know if Yolanthe knew she was somehow projecting all this at him. He certainly wasn't trying to pick any of it up but he certainly needed to block it out.

Amia was sorry she had mentioned it. Very sorry. She looked miserably between her guests and then at Cade. "I didn't mean...." she began, casting her eyes down and clearly bewildered by what she had clearly started off.

Yolanthe stared after him, her body a sharp blue green. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be alright," Cade said, his eyes fixed on Yolanthe. "Just so I'm completely clear on this, you're saying one of your employees was drugged and sexually assaulted at this place?"

"On their ship during the evacuation." She shrugged, recalling the dreamy look Blake had come back with. "But they didn't hurt him. Just used him. It's been taken care of."

The XO eyed Yolanthe suspiciously for a moment. He wasn't so sure he should just let it go at that. This, however, was neither the time nor place to open another criminal investigation. It could wait. He pushed it to the back of his mind for now.

"Sorry," Liam said returning back a couple of minutes later. He had tried to reinforce his mental shields and push the images away. "I'm out of practice. There's a lot more people on this station than there ever was on any of the starships I have lived on. Still working on tuning everyone and everything out."

He had come to the conclusion that Yolanthe wasn't being malicious. Amia would never be friends with someone like that. He genuinely didn't think she knew and he wasn't going to say anything to upset her or ruin the evening. As hard as she was on the outside - tough as nails was the human phrase and the crazy life she seemed to have, she was a good person deep down inside he had decided. Well he knew the feel of true evil and she wasn't it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She had gone a greyish olve, and all he could sense was worry and concern.

"Yeah," Liam said. He was ready for her this time. "Being an empath has its ups and downs that's all. I've been planetside with my own people too long. Its just going to take an adjustment period getting back into the swing of things," he reassured her.

Liam turned to Amia and smiled wickedly . "So Mei mei, do we get to sample this Hasperat or are we being tortured all night with the amazing smell?"

"Oh it's not for eating!" she laughed jokingly but went into the kitchen area anyway.

"Guys, who's sitting where?" she called them all to the dining table and served the first part of the meal. "Hors d'ouevres!" she announced as she put a huge oval plate full of 'tapas-like' selections. Joining them in the remaining seat which they'd tactfully left beside Cade, Amia squeezed his hand as she settled in her seat. She passed the large central plate to Yolanthe first and began by asking her to "help-yourself please".

Once they all had some food and had begun eating she turned back to Yolanthe. "You must work some very long hours running an establishment as popular as yours?" She was very interested in the diversity of patrons she'd seen in there on her own visits while she was looking for her lost memory.

"Sometimes." Yolanthe allowed, picking up what looked like a small fish. "But its not really working when its something you enjoy. And I'm the boss. I can come and go as I please, take time off when I need to. Like tonight."

"We're glad you came," Cade said, lifting his glass to her. "You've been on this station much longer than any of us have. You probably have a few interesting stories about the place."

"Definitely!" Amia added herself to the toast and raised her glass too. "And some about the people as well."

"Oh I have lots of stories." Yolanthe smiled, pausing ot lick the sauce from the fish of her fingers. "But the stories about the station are hardly cheerful dinner time fare, and the stories about the people. Well," she looked at Amia and raised a suggestive eyebrow. "What happens in The Box of Delights, stays in The Box of Delights."

Liam said nothing. When they had first met she had pretty much chewed him out for asking for simular and he had been asking for legitimate reasons not entertainment at a dinner party. He focused on his Hasperat. It was delicious. As usual. He couldn't think of anything Amia had cooked that he had not enjoyed.

"Didn't you tell me once you could make a dessert version of this with honey?" he asked smacking his lips finishing the dish and remembering a conversation from a long time ago.

Amia grinned. "I did tell you that. One, I'm flattered that you remember and two, I could make it again if you'd like to try it? Shall I pop some round to you tomorrow?"

"That would be amazing," Liam grinned. "You know I never say no to sweets. Or your cooking."

Yolanthe tasted the hesperat and found it far less spicy than she'd feared, an nodded an agreement. "It's very good." She took another bite and swallowed it quickly. "I almost forget." She raised he martini glass towards Amia. "To happy memories and their safe return."

"Hear, hear!" Cade said, lifting his own glass. Then he leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek.

Liam also lifted his glass.

[OFF]

Lt JG Liam Reynolds
CDO

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, The Box of Delights

Lt Cmdr Amia Telamon
CMO

Lt. Cmdr. Caden Aldrex
XO

 

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