Posted by Commander Ryder Raauhl (Executive Officer) in There’s a first time for everything

(snip)

“There never was a combination, I just said that so you wouldn’t go looking for them.” He chuckled, “So you can have your weapons since they’ll be in ‘our’ room.” He paused and then said after a short while, “Hmm, I like the sound of that, ‘our’ room. Almost comes natural, who knew huh?” he loved teasing Casela, it was perhaps his favourite past time. “Will you need help moving in?”

• Lt Cmdr Rauuhl, XO

“Good thing for you I didn’t go looking then,” she grinned. It was too bad too, she was good at picking locks. She was a little too happy at the news of getting her weapons back. “Apparently not us.” She laughed a little, oddly comfortable with him teasing her, though she’d never admit it. “Help? Oh, well, I don’t really have anything to move. The only thing in my quarters are my uniforms and the box you put my necklace in.” She had a few small things in her office that she could move as well. “I never really held onto anything. Moving constantly made it anything but essentials impractical.” She had her backpack she kept with essentials, but she’d leave that in her office. It made more sense to have it at hand there. “My personal belongings are sadly lacking. Except for the knife my dad gave me and the bracelet from my uncle.”

“So should we eat here, or,” and she glanced at him, her eyes dancing, “should we go back to ‘our’ room?”
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

Raauhl smiled, “Let’s eat and then we can go back to our quarters, uniforms can be Replicated and we can pick up the box on another day, we’ll have to work on getting you some more home comforts, I don’t know how I’d feel having knives, daggers and other such weapons hanging on the wall and filling our drawers” Speaking in the combined way of ours and theirs was certainly not new for him, after all he had four life times inside him but when it was in the context of him and Casela, well the warm feeling he got was immense. “Now let’s eat’

• LtCmdr Raauhl, XO

She turned a very serious face to him, “Ryder, really? Weapons on the walls? The idea is to hide them, to hide them from people, not show them off. I’m not Klingon.” Internally she was laughing, teasing him. “And I have no desire for Gen to get her hands on them, either, and you never know when she’ll pop up.” She leaned over, close to him, “Besides, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” This time her mouth twitched just a bit in a smile. “Now, is there food in that basket?”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

Rolling his eyes Raauhl opened the basket and pulled out a number for picnic type foods from sandwiches of different types, quiche, wine and flavoured water, in case she wasn’t in a drinking mood, a cherry tart and apple crumble and that was just what Raauhl could describe all in all it was a well laid picnic. “Take your pick, soon we’ll be doing these walks with Gen, that’ll be interesting” Raauhl was already growing to the idea of having a child around he was well educated and experienced thanks to three of his four previous hosts but mostly Kala, she had serval children.

• LtCmdr Raauhl, XO

Casela had almost finished the small glass of wine he’d given her and she now set it aside in favor of the water. Despite that one single night, Casela had an indifferent relationship with Alcohol. It worked great when you had pain and nothing to block it when someone had to patch you up, it also worked great to loosen the tongue of someone you wanted to get information from. But it also dulled the mind and slowed the reflexes, something she avoided. The spread though was impressive. Casela choose a sandwich and a piece of the quiche. She glanced around, “Gen would like this. She’d probably float to the top of the trees and walk the branches if she could get Fenrir to go with her.” Her mind had been on Alyssa a lot since they had gone hunting Trickster and it was probably why she said the next thing she did. “They would probably scare Alyssa. She’ll never see something like this, and then she’d probably climb one just to prove she’s not afraid.” Casela grinned over the though. Alyssa had a stubborn streak to prove herself.

She ate quietly for a few minutes. “Gen is very....unsettled. I’m not sure she remembers what happened after her ship was lost and she showed up here. She’s gained some telepathic ability and some other strange abilities but she doesn’t know how she does it. She wants affection, but is afraid of it. She hesitates. It’s heart breaking.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

” I’ve noticed, and so have others she’s certainly a puzzle but hopefully” Raauhl finished his mouthful, wiping away the crumbs before speaking again “Hopefully will a stable family and home she’ll slowly begin to settle in and open up” He shrugged “I’m sure she’ll be fine, and besides she’ll have an awesome set of parents? If that’s what we’re calling it” He assumed it was, after all before this started he was just asking if she’d move in but now they were planning a family and a real shot at a life together. As a Trill he was thrilled, all new memories and experiences to obtain for the great pools.

-LtCmdr Raauhl, XO

Casela finished eating while he spoke. Parents, family, home. Someone might say it would let her settle in as well. Actually some did. While they’d been on Delotha, Ch’otok, ever the big brother, had said to her, “Go to this Ryder and allow him to tell you what you cannot tell yourself. You are loved, you are safe, and you have a good heart. Your path lead you to him. Now walk that path with him.”

She downed the water like it was something much stronger. It was supposed to be a date, simple, and now....she scrubbed a hand across her face. They, not her, were going after Mad Man. She’d lost her mind. What was she doing? Did she want to adopt Gen? Of course but she’d only meant that Gen would be around a lot. That in addition to all her other responsibilities, it wasn’t like Ryder would see her more often. He was going with her after Mad Man. No, no absolutely not. There was a reason she hadn’t gone back and now....no, no this wasn’t crazy it was straight up stupid. Why? Why did he even want to be connected to someone like her? Secrets got out and this wasn’t even a secret. They had only been talking about her moving in with him. She was there constantly anyway. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to. Some how she’d come to love him. Falling was such a fairytale term, but was accurate all the same. Family? Making a family? Nope, not in her life time. Too much risk, she had too much to loose that way. She didn’t want the darkness that followed her touching them. She didn’t mind fast, but this? Even if she handled the situation with Mad Man that didn’t mean the Section couldn’t recall her, and where would that leave Ryder and Gen? She wanted to hit something, her heart pounding, her breathing rapid, and in a cold sweat. But his presence was calming to that side of herself. She felt hot and then cold, and she was sitting down but felt like she was spinning. And there was a weird tunnel vision but not connected to rage…she was having a panic attack. She would never live this down. She drew her knees up and dropped her head. Where were her weapons? But it wasn’t her weapons she reached for but her necklace.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

He watched her silently, wondering what was going through her mind. Nothing ever seemed simple between them, not even a panic in the woods. Raauhl guessed it was because they were both similar in many ways but different in so many others, they cared too much about things that other wouldn’t and they both made quick rash decision especially when it comes to one another but yet he wouldn’t change it.

“Whats wrong?” he asked finally breaking the silence and wanting to make her feel safe again.

• Lt Cmdr Raauhl, XO

She had started this policy of telling him whatever she was thinking. He’d wondered once and she figured since he couldn’t really read her mind the way she could his, it was only fair. But more it was a reflection of how much she trusted him, that she could tell him anything, no matter what it was. She took a deep breath, stretched her legs back out, dropped her hand from the necklace and looked at him, trying to put order to the jumble of thoughts, emotions swirling around in her head. “There is a reason I haven’t gone back after Mad Man, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. When we first came on board you never would have suggested keeping a secret like that from your captain. I work in secrets and shadows and disinformation.” He was a grown man and could decide for himself, but that didn’t stop her from worrying how her past could affect him. But that really wasn’t what was bothering her. “Are we really…Ryder how serious is this?” she made a small motion between the two of them. “It’s one thing to move in together, it’s a totally different thing to say we are going…” she paused trying to wrap her head around the idea. It was something she’d given up on a long time ago. It wasn’t…”Are we really going to start a family? Are we that serious? It’s one thing to move in together and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. You add a child to that, it’s not fair to Gen if we aren’t that serious.” And that was not just living in the now, but for a future, together. And it was dangerously close to the fact Cobb was teasing her about Ryder asking her to marry him, and the idea that they were headed in that direction, is what was bothering her. “I’m not saying I don’t want to, or that I think this is too fast,” everything they did was too fast, “But for all my skills,” and she grins a little poking fun at herself, “I did not see our first date, turning into this.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS