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Three Isn't A Crowd If You Don't Want It To Be

Posted Dec. 5, 2022, 5:21 p.m. by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) (Jennifer Ward)

Posted by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) in Three Isn’t A Crowd If You Don’t Want It To Be

Posted by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Three Isn’t A Crowd If You Don’t Want It To Be

Posted by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) in Three Isn’t A Crowd If You Don’t Want It To Be
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Sharah lifted the glass and drank. She felt a bit light headed. She watched Yavia disappear down the stairs. “I don’t think anything phases her.” She moved over to where she had set the bonsai down and set her hands against the soil, and inspecting each of the branches and buds. “We should plant a paw-paw tree for her.”

Sharah

Charles looked at Sharah and said “We? Like… you and I? Are we at the planning future endeavors together aspect already?” with smile. His enthusiasm, effecting, and comfort with the entire situation was genuine, even if he had some confusion about it; but he was excited by the prospects that the near future held for the three of them… all emotions that welled up and off him without any hint of him trying to hide it.

Tenkiller

Sharah smiled as his emotions hit her. Not just surface ones, but deeper stronger ones. He wasn’t attempting to hide them, he knew she would feel them, and that was a gift. She picked fallen leaves out of the pot, crumbled them and then worked them back into the soil. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. “I suppose we are in some ways. It is part of your culture, and I,” she touched the flowers on the tree gently, “have a talent for growing things. If not together, then perhaps you and Yavia will let me give it to you as a gift, a thank you.”

Sharah

Charles smiled and stepped up to her, standing behind her. He put his hands on her waist and set his chin gently on her shoulder. “No thanks is needed. We… all three of us… are in this together. What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. We are a… what… I have no idea what to call us. A team? A cooperative? A… throuple?” and he laughed softly and let her go, careful not to intrude on her space for too long.

Tenkiller

His closeness was strangely welcoming and very needed, and all the more precious for his care and caution for her. “Throuple?” There was confused amusement in her voice. “I don’t know. I feel very confused and weirdly comfortable. Ask Yavia. Deltans have more words for love and relationships than the Inuit of Earth have for snow. Throuple has a nice sound to it, though. Doesn’t it?” Finally satisfied with whatever she was doing with Hooe she turned leaning back against the counter. “But thanks are needed, in words and actions and in thoughts and feelings. It is a way to show those that are precious that their efforts are seen, and that they matter. Too often it is over looked and people feel taken for granted. Thanks is not given out of obligation, but out of care for those that care for us.”

“Well, you don’t have the lion’s share of confusion in this. Humans don’t typically have relationships like this… not a lot, anyway. Its not taboo or frowned upon anymore, but was back in the day.” and he smiled and laughed. “Its is weirdly comfortable, ain’t it? Thats a great way of framing it.” He looked at her for a long moment, something akin to affection in his eyes. “You have a great mind, you know that? And I do mean all of it. You are an amazing person, Sharah… and I’m really glad you are here.”

Sharah shook her head with a slight grin. “Betazoids don’t either, typically. People assume a lot because our wedding traditions include nudity. But the truth is we may love many people in our lives, but we devote all of ourselves to one person. The ultimate gift is to find your Imzadi and spend your life with them. We have the capacity to continue to love someone even after the relationship is over. That is not unique to Betazoids though. Love is unique and only the people involved should have a say on how that looks and whether they accept it.” She stared at him a long moment before she ducked her head, his words having a noticeably profound effect on her. Betazoids were notoriously honest though, even if Sharah was used to keeping her privacy from most of world. “I am glad to be here…I think, but it scares me.”

She turned back to the pot, “She needs sunlight.” Which should be easy to get in a house with so many windows.

Sharah

“How about over by the living room window?” Charles suggested. “She’ll get enough sun, but nothing too direct.”

Tenkiller

Sharah picked up the pot. The care with which she carried it was reminiscent of how one might carry a pet or small child. She set it down carefully and turned it slightly, so the sun would hit the branches. Hope felt quite happy, to Sharah, in her pot, unphased by all the jostling. Then she moved across the room and resumed her earlier seat on the couch. “She likes being planet aside again with real sunlight.”

Sharah

Charles followed her into the living room and took a seat near her, careful to give her her space. “It’s okay to be scared, you know. I am. V probably will be… or not. Who knows?” and he laughed. “But I think… hell, I know… that this’ll be good for all of us. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I do know that I am more excited about it than I have been in a really long time.” He reached out and set his hand on hers gently. “And you are under no obligation to anyone for anything, ok? Neither is V or me. We are here because we want to be here. We want to be with one another. And that is all that matters.” and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Tenkiller

Sharah nodded looking as confused and perplexed as he felt. For her it happened out of nowhere. Had they planned this before she had run into them at tge park? Or had it happened as suddenly for them? The questions crossed her mind, but she wasn’t overly concerned about obtaining the answer. Sharah didn’t feel like she knew much of anything. That feeling of being on crumbling ground persisted. “Right now I am content that you know it.” She squeezed his hand back, and let out a shaky breath. “My shrink is going to have a field day with this.”

“Oh I bet!” Charles said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure my boss is gonna have me set up for an evaluation once this gets out, too.”

The mention of Yavia brought the woman and her thoughts into focus. For no apparent reason a laugh bubbled out of Sharah along with a blush. She glanced at him, “Sorry.” Sometimes the things she heard and felt were strong enough or clear enough to distract her or cause a reaction. Yavia was being rather free with her thoughts and the ideas coming to her mind. Some Sharah would rather not be privy to. “You may have a really hard time ever getting Yavia out of here. She has discovered the bathtub in her room and is rather enjoying it.”

Sharah

Charles cocked his head to the side slightly and peered intently at her. “You are blushing, so I can only imagine.” he slid closer to her, putting himself right next to her, but not holding her and restricting her. “Listen… you need never feel embarrassed about picking things up from me. I won’t speak for V, but what I feel for her… and you… is nothing I am ashamed of. My only concern is that it makes you uncomfortable. Which I hope it doesn’t, because we are all together now. No secrets, okay?”

Sharah had to smile. He was so genuine and sincere, and, “You are incredibly intuitive for ‘not being an empath.’” She was teasing him about his earlier comment, but more it was a compliment and an acknowledgement of what he saw about her. “It is not uncomfortable…it’s hard to explain. It is uncomfortable but not because of you,” she smiled hesitantly at him and found his hand, “or Yavia,” and she looked toward the stairs. “More because it is unfamiliar.” She shook her head she wasn’tbeing very clear, “No secrets, but maybe a discussion for later when I can put my thoughts in order.”

And a thought occurred to him. “Hang on a sec. Don’t… don’t move.” and he stood up quickly and moved past the fireplace and through the den to the ‘off-limits’ room. A few seconds later, he said “Sharah, c’mere.”

She watched him leave but stayed where she was until he called her. She got up, hesitating a moment, he had said it was off limits and she didn’t want him to feel pressured to have ‘no secrets.’

The den past the fireplace was dark and had a feel of comfort and quiet. There was thick carpet that seemed to invite bare feet and a large couch and two overstuffed reclining chairs in front of a large combination vid-holo screen. Past that was a door, now standing open.

Natural light poured in from the open doorway, filled the framed space with a golden hue. Inside wasn’t an office… it was a studio.

Sharah paused in the doorway and looked around, taking in the details and the space.

Against the far wall of a window was a long table the width of the large room with dozens of thin, wide drawers. The top was covered with stains of color in every hue and tone, and on top were glass jars with a myriad of paint brushes in all sizes and shapes. Canvases stood stacked against each other on the wall, sometimes six or seven deep. On the non-window walls were paintings… the same kind of paintings that Sharah had seen in the gallery showing; along with landscapes and other kinds. A single easel stood in the center of the room on a large, white canvas tarp covered in pain splatter. On it was a blank canvas. Tenkiller stood next to it and looked at Sharah. He took a steadying breath, it was clear he was nervous and yet excited about showing her the place. “So you know how you kept saying my knowledge of art, or lack thereof anyway, was suspect? Well… now ya know why. You can tell V, too. I said no secrets, so… no secrets.”

Tenkiller

Sharah looked over at him, her eyes dancing a bit and the grew quiet, then nodded as if something made sense. “The painting from the Gala.” The one depicting Chaos Theory, that had made her feel so…right…like she belonged. She had but it away after…well after Markus left. It had felt like a cruel joke. Now she was glad she hadn’t had the chance to contact the museum. “It was you that sent it.” She had wondered since she hadn’t spoken to anyone but him and Eela at the event. She walked towards him as she looked at each painting as she passed it. “The paintings in the bedrooms, you did those too.” She stopped beside him, placed a hand on his arm, and stretched up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “They are wonderous, and your skill and talent magnificent. Thank you for showing me.” She shook her head, “I won’t tell her. I know, no secrets, but I think you should tell her. I think she would like to hear it from you.”

Sharah

He looked at her for a moment and then leaned in and kissed her, very softly, his lips brushing hers. He stood back up straight and looked at the room. “I did do those, yeah. I tried to get a certain feeling for each room.” He suddenly grinned and looked at her. “You should tell her that you found this room open and I’m outside. See if she stays in the bathtub or comes streaking through the house.” and he giggled conspiratorially.

Tenkiller

She couldn’t stop the ache or the fear her own reaction to his kiss caused. It was quite wonderful, and she wished he hadn’t so stopped so briefly. That confused her more than anything else had that day.

Her head tipped sideways, curious what made him grin like that, and taking in the change it brought over him. Then she laughed. “Okay. Hang on.” Her gaze turned a little far away.

Yavia…That room…you know the one he said we can’t go in…it’s open.

He’s outside.

I can’t. I have to go in to grab the door to shut it.

I wasn’t! I was just exploring and found it that way.

What if he thinks I was snooping like you did and gets mad at me.

Sharah’s black gaze returned to him. “She’s coming.”

Sharah


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