The Art of Falling Into Friendship, Part 2
Posted on Mon 26th Aug, 2019 @ 12:53am by Lieutenant Commander Dallas Briggs & Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena
Edited on on Wed 28th Aug, 2019 @ 11:01pm
1,275 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Tram, Mostly
Timeline: MD 9, 1115
Previously ... When the tram stopped and disgorged its passengers, Kiara entered. "What can you tell me about the tram system?" she asked.
Dallas followed her into the tram, "Not much, each has a detailed interactive map on it so at least you know where you are going."
And now to continue ....
Kiara nodded and looked out the window as the tram moved out. She found her first tram ride on the station to be quite an experience, between looking out the window and watching other passengers. When they finally arrived at her quarters, she identified herself and provided a palm print to activate the door. "Have a seat," she said, heading for the bedroom. "I'll be back in a minute."
It took her three minutes. She chose to replicate something to wear rather than dig through the small stack of boxes. As she was not officially on duty yet, she chose to wear a tan skirt and cream-colored sleeveless blouse with a pair of comfortable sandals. She ran a brush through her hair and went back to meet the lieutenant. "I'm ready."
Dallas smiled in approval, "You look ready." He paused for a moment, "Are you hungry?" he asked.
She paused to consider when she'd last eaten. "Yes. I believe I am." She grinned. "The last meal on the shuttle was less than appetizing."
"Good, it will take us about a half-hour to get to Orchids & Jazz, but the food is well worth it." Dallas said.
"Orchids & Jazz?"
"That's right," Dallas said, "It's a very nice restaurant and jazz club, I think you will love it."
She smiled. "It sounds lovely. Perhaps you can show me more of the station along the way?"
"Of course." Dallas said, "Whenever you are ready to go."
She held her hands out to her sides. "I'm ready now, as long as I don't need to dress up."
Dallas looked her up and down. "I think you will be okay." He smiled then indicated the door for her to proceed first.
"Thank you, kind sir," she said. "And thank you for not making me eat alone on my first day here," she added as she walked out the door.
When they were both in the corridor, she turned to him. "Same way back, or do we take another route?"
"To get to the promenade we will have to take two trams and a turbolift, it's quite far." Dallas said.
"Perfect," she smiled. "I have a lot to learn. I might have to spend a day riding the trams just to learn all the routes." She raised an eyebrow. "If that's possible?"
Dallas chuckled. This woman was interesting, to say the least. "You know you can do whatever you want, and I don't think it will hurt to learn your way around."
"Oh, I'm sure I can," she said, chuckling. "I can hear the whispers. Did you see the new diplomat? She's been riding the tram for two days now. I think she's lost."
"I think there will be so many people on the tram that they won't notice you going for a joy ride," he smiled, "and who cares what they think anyway." Dallas shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't care what they think, but I do not want to cause any problems with future negotiations." She smiled. "The life of a diplomat. However, I do not honestly believe tram riding will cause any real issues. Unless I pack a bag ad take up residence."
Dallas laughed, “I think you will be okay.” He liked the woman; she seemed to be very independent and had a professional and personable demeanor about her. She reminded Dallas of Victoria in some ways. Then he thought about Victoria, she seemed to have departed rather abruptly and he hoped she wasn’t mad about his new friend.
"Isn't that what we all strive for?" she asked, giving him an understanding smile. She could tell he'd been through a lot lately. "No matter what life throws at us, we endeavor to come through it okay. Better than that, if we can manage it."
Dallas nodded thoughtfully, “I suppose, one could only hope to, but when one has suffered a loss then its hard to rebound.”
"It is at first. Some wounds take time to heal," she said, looking at him intently. "Who was it?"
Dallas looked back at the woman, "My wife, Victoria." He looked down and shook his head, "She was killed in an explosion."
Kiara put a hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry. How long ago was it?"
"A little over a year. It happened on my last ship, the Typhoon, she was the XO." Dallas explained as feelings from the incident began to come over him.
She slipped her hand in the crook of his arm in a gesture of sympathy and support. "Why don't we go to Orchids & Jazz, get a quiet table and you can tell me about her." Although she'd never married herself, she understood about loss and healing. Perhaps by helping him talk about her the diplomat could help him with his healing process.
Dallas nodded, "That sounds like a good idea, since I'm hungry and we can eat there while we talk." Dallas didn't mind talking about the life that he and Victoria had even though his situation was different, Victoria was still around in a way so he hadn't grieved the way normal people do.
Kiara nodded and kept her hand on his arm until they approached the tram.
Surprised to find herself feeling jealous, Victoria scowled. It wasn't that she minded Dallas finding a friend. What she was jealous of was that the woman could physically interact with him. She could touch him, and he could feel it. Maybe it was time for her to find something else to do, and quit torturing herself with things she couldn't change. At the moment, shopping didn't hold any appeal, because it only emphasized that she couldn't interact with anyone, buy anything, even make a dog bark.
Without waiting for the two to get on the tram, she shift through the wall and sink down through the closest Jeffries tube, or whatever they called these access spaces on a starbase. Why wouldn't it be the same term, she wondered, letting her mind distract her from her emotions. Down and down she went, blanking everything but the passage of space, until she found herself sinking down into the river.
Tivoli Gardens! What a good idea! For a few minutes, she stroked effortlessly below the water, coming eyeball to eyeball with a small pig-nosed turtle, an odd animal indeed. His looks made her smile, and she rose up out of the water to drift toward the Buddhist temple gardens, which were all but deserted this time of day. Exactly what I need, she thought, as she settled into the branches of a tree just below the level of the wall surrounding the gardens and temple, letting the peace wash over her.
The pair of officers got on the tram and, after the doors closed, it quickly took off and raced away at a high speed. "it actually has a relaxing hum and vibration. One must be careful not to fall asleep while riding the tram." Dallas grinned then chuckled. "I just made that up."
The unexpectedness of his comment made her laugh. "Good to see you have a sense of humor, lieutenant. You should show it more often."
Dallas chuckled, "I try to, but it's normally pretty dry and no one really appreciates it."
Kiara shrugged, "I do."
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