Growing Closer

Posted on Wed 3rd Oct, 2012 @ 8:51pm by Commander Brian Windsong & Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fihnrilk'Hob"ledn-ardol (Fin)

1,366 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/2
Location: Orchids & Jazz, Deck 400
Timeline: Evening hours, during the first week

It was the practice of Jade Lantz, owner of Orchids & Jazz, to visit the table of each guest during dinner, unless things were so hectic that it was impossible. This evening, it was busy, but not hectic. She alternated between playing hostess, delivering specialty orders, and visiting with customers. As owner, she did whatever needed to be done.

Glancing around the lower floor as she descended the stairs from the loft, she saw several couples she had not yet visited. She decided to start with those nearest the dance floor and work her way back toward the beautiful antique bar she'd had installed in this location, just as she had in the club's three previous locations across the quadrant.

"What sort of dance does your troop perform?" Paul asked. "Do you specialize in dances from a few particular cultures? Is it formal dance or more improvised? Whatever form you do, it sounds like a brilliant form of exercise, and a lot more interesting and engaging than just doing calisthenics."

He had never known a dancer before--not one who could dance well enough to practice with a holographic professional dance troop. Even holograms had to function to professional standards, after all, or they couldn't present realistic virtual reality.

"Sometimes you need to remember how old I am so you can appreciate how long I've been dancing. Knowing that, I am familiar with many kinds. There are some that would be easier to classify as tribal and others that are formal, but my favorite is where we make it up as we go and then put it all together. Contemporary is a good word for that since it is all about movement and story telling."

Jade arrived at a table as the couple sitting there were finishing their meal. "Good evening," she spoke in her beautifully modulated voice, glancing at the almost empty plates. "I hope you enjoyed your chicken and brook trout. Next time, lieutenant, I suggest ordering it baked. That's cooked in our kitchen, not replicated," she confided. "I hope you'll be staying to dance. Dora Deshan will be singing in a few minutes, and I think you'll enjoy the music. It's authentic tunes from the 1930s on Earth, and no one does it better than Miss Deshan."

Fin looked to Paul to see if he wanted to stay.

"I look forward to hearing her," Paul said. "I don't know much about the music from that period on Earth." He smiled. "And, replicated or not, the sate' chicken was very good." He looked at Jade for a moment. "I saw you in the senior officers' staff meeting, didn't I?"

"You did," Jade acknowledged. "I represent the interests of the Promenade businesses during meetings which might affect us, which the visit of dignitaries such as the Caliburnites and the Emmorites must surely do."

The club owner turned more toward the woman at the table. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said, "but did I overhear that you are a dancer?"

"Why yes." She wasn't going to go into how long she'd been at it or the fact that she'd performed professionally many, many years ago.

"I'll look forward to seeing you perform at some time in the future, then," Jade smiled. "If there's anything else that you would like, please let Serena or Jenna know. I'm always available should you find something not up to your standards, as well. Enjoy the rest of your evening at Orchids & Jazz." With a final nod at the lieutenant, Jade moved on to the next customers, two tables over.

Brian was playing quietly in the background, light jazz from the early twenty-first century, tunes that he and Morgan had listened to while at the Academy, the tunes were a little melancholy but good dancing. Slow dancing where you looked into your partner's eyes. He played them with more than just the raw talent that he possessed, he played them with passion as though he was playing them to an audience of one. His one that no longer existed on this plane.

The music Brian was providing was beautiful, though tending toward a nostalgic sound. The customers of Orchids & Jazz wouldn't think anything of it since the man played well, but Jade made a mental note to see what she could do to cheer the man. She was quite grateful that he was able to fill in for her smaller jazz combo at short notice, but that also meant he didn't really have much of a personal life. Eventually, he would tell her his story. Everyone tells a listener everything, given enough time.

Fin turned in her chair a bit, enough to get a good look at Brian. He couldn't be aware of her so it was a good time to study him. With a person who was blind, it was difficult to tell if they were caught up inside their own thoughts merely by looking at them, because they always had a 'far away' look in their eyes. But there was something about the way he was playing...there was angst.

"He's really very good, isn't he?"

"I think he is," Paul said. "I had no idea he could play like this." He listened to Brian's playing--broken chords rippling up and down the keyboard. It seemed sad and wistful at the same time.

Brian continued to play, though he shifted gears slightly. It was still jazzy with a hint of blues, but it wasn't quite as melancholy; it was still perfect for slow dancing.

Paul took another sip from his wine glass and simply enjoyed listening to Brian play for a few moments more. Then, as the music took on a more sparkling quality, he smiled at Fin. "Is dinner still digesting, or would you care to dance?"

The silence that had settled between them as they listened to the music was comfortable. She might not like Brian Windsong, but she had to admit he was a talented pianist.

"Oh, I'd love a dance, Paul!" She patted her mouth with her napkin and set it on the table. Rising from her chair, Fin felt her gown shift around her and smiled. It was nice to be wearing something that was feminine for a change. She took Paul's offered hand and followed him out onto the dance floor.

Fortunately the music was Terran, so Paul had some experience in dancing it. "This is a swing, right?" he asked Fin as they got onto the dance floor. He went through the steps in his head and decided he must have gotten it right because they matched the rhythm of the music that Brian was playing. He slid his right hand down to the small of Fin's back and took her right hand in his left as he glided into the figures of the dance. "I hope you like lots of movement," he teased.

As he led her through the steps, Fin laughed. It really was fun! She'd never heard of Swing before, but she was good at picking up steps. With all the twirls and quick steps, her gown wasn't ideal, but she made do. When the music ended, she clapped along with the other participants. Another song began, a slow one, and she raised her brow in silent question. Was he up for another one?

Paul smiled at Fin in reply, and they glided into a foxtrot. Music rippled from the piano as Brian played. Paul sank himself into the rhythm of the music and the sway of their bodies as they moved to it. "I hope you wouldn't mind doing this again, sometime," he said to Fin and then slowly spun her out, only to catch her hand a moment later and spin her back in again. "This is a lot of fun!"

Brian began to play another one of his favorites, "Almost Blue," by the ancient Earth composer Chet Baker. It was really a piece for the sax, but Brian was good at adapting.

This was a slow-dance piece, very quiet, meditative. Paul encircled Fin with one arm, enjoying the music and her company. He let the mood of the music guide him and didn't fill the air with chatter.

 

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