STF

Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)

Posted Aug. 17, 2022, 1:05 p.m. by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) (Trin S)

Posted by Lieutenant Symar (Chief Medical Officer) in Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Symar (Chief Medical Officer) in Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Putting on a Logical Top Hat (Tag XO)
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(Snip!)

I am going to need a little more than that… T’Aria thought, briefly forgetting the fluidity between reality and thought in this world.

His words, unlike the vivid recollection of his unconsented role in Nyrax’s nefarious plan, were vague. T’Aria tried to decipher their meaning, but ‘emotionally’ was a broad word, used to describe a spectrum of feelings. He would not have confided in her if he felt negatively toward her, so there went one side the spectrum, but there was still another.

They shared a mutual trust, deep enough for vulnerability, so it was more than aquaintanceship. A kinship, perhaps? T’Aria examined the lines between siblinghood, friendship and affection… but it was too much for her weary mind to handle.

Then, she laughed.

It was not derisive, nor spirited, but the kind of laugh born of awe and frustration and the brain’s inability to process everything happening without blending them into something wholly unrecognisable. So, it did the only thing it could to release all of that stress: it made her laugh.

And it was liberating.

“I am sorry…” she clamped a hand over her mouth, but spurts of laughter escaped through her fingers.

“I am not laughing at you,” T’Aria coughed, closing her eyes to take a sobering breath. “This is a lot to take in and I am not sure how to process it all. I feel like everything I thought I knew was wrong. That is not your fault, nor your responsibility, so please do not assume it. I just…” she sighed, “there are so many unknowns here and I would deeply appreciate some clarity. What do feel?”

— T’Aria

“I feel strongly that I care about you Comma- T’Aria,” Symar said, feeling a glint in his eye.

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

“Oh…” T’Aria relaxed as her heart ceased its assault on her abdomen, relieving the pressure that built to extremes at her temples. A hazy, disorienting sensation emerged in its place. She felt it before, but time tamed and moulded the emotion into reverence. This was stronger. Was it shon-ha’lock? No, it couldn’t be. Shon-ha’lock was spontaneous and all-consuming, and this felt gentle and slow-burning — like an ember, not a flame. “I care for you,” she admitted, “Symar.”

T’Aria embraced the silence that followed, but she didn’t look away.

“We should sever this meld,” she finally said, “before we exhaust ourselves beyond safe withdrawl.”

— T’Aria

“You’re right,” Symar glanced around and seemed to notice the walls around the constructed room they were in starting to wobble, “After you.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

T’Aria took a grounding breath that eased her mind into wakefulness as she embraced the sensory data her subconscious tuned out. Her temples ached in the warm, arid air that wafted through her quarters with a hint of sandalwood. She leaned into the aroma until she heard not the profound silence of their tangled minds, but the distant rumble of Chernov‘s engines. That was her cue. T’Aria tugged at the bond until it snapped like a frayed string, freeing them from their meld.

Her eyes peeled open as she gently coaxed his fingers from her face, carefully observing him.

— T’Aria

Symar slowly opened his eyes and let out a sigh that he’d seemed to be holding in since they began, “That… felt liberating.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

“You seem… lighter,” T’Aria tilted her head, watching as pent-up tension drained with his sigh. Her mind felt cluttered and tired, but she sensed a lightness that reinvigorated her, if just for a moment, when he voiced his relief. Sighing, she briefly tore away her gaze to consult the chronometer and asked, “how are you feeling? Physically.”

— T’Aria

“Honestly,” he chuckled, “Tired, very tired.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

BUMP

-Kieron-

“Of course,” T’Aria rose and offered her arm to help him to his feet, “you need rest.”

Mind-melds forged a telepathic bridge between their brains, drawing energy from their bodies to reinforce and prevent the dangers of telepathic deterioration. She did not doubt that he was tired – exhausted, even – as he invested the most.

“I can accompany you to your quarters,” she added in veiled admission of her concern, “unless you feel well enough?”

— T’Aria

“I’ll be honest Commander, I’d appreciate the company.” Symar held onto T’Aria and rose tentitively to his feet, “Would you care to spend the evening with me?”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

BUMP

-Kieron-

T’Aria grasped his arm until he was firmly on his feet, then stepped to a comfortable distance, hesitance touching her temples in noticeable wrinkles. Was she ready to spend the evening with him? A few hours together seemed minor now that they knew the depths of the other’s mind. But did she have the mental capacity for this?

“On one condition,” she agreed, “call me ‘T’Aria’. ‘Commander’ seems… inapprorpate at this juncture.”

“I suppose the question remains,” she glanced at her tapestry-adorned living space, “your quarters or mine?”

— T’Aria


Posts on USS Chernov

In topic

Posted since


© 1991-2024 STF. Terms of Service

Version 1.15.9