Sightseeing

Posted on Sun 5th Jan, 2020 @ 1:49am by Mary Elizabeth Gregory & Maiek s'Ethien

2,021 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Varuna Spa
Timeline: Backdated, August 2393

A spa was something of a welcome distraction. He'd seen the word on the manifest and as with everyone else had received one of the bracelets when he'd come aboard the Station. The bracelet itself intrigued him, with the shine of the bead seeming to light from within without any technology being involved. The play of light inspired him once more, to place pen to paper. Inspiration became a sketch that would eventually become his next masterpiece. Wishful thinking that I'd regain my status, but it is good to design again. He had visions in his head, of light cascading down a woman's body in gentle waves. Since he'd been granted permission to access all civilian areas aboard the station, as well as the diplomatic sections. Long strides took him to the entrance of the spa, the bracelet glittering around his wrist like a beacon, and its light indicated he was close. Maiek entered the first set of frosted glass doors, with the lotus blossom on it.

"Welcome to the Veruna Spa."

"My thanks." Maiek replied to the humanoid woman behind the counter who had greeted him. His eyes flickered from the great glass door to the utopia behind the walls, and his breath escaped him in a quiet sigh. This place was so close to stepping into paradise that Maiek wasn't quite sure how to react to the feeling of 'rightness' that it brought to his heart.

His sketchpad he stowed in a locker, and he replicated something called a 'bathing suit' which was required attire in the communal pools. Some species had cultural taboos with exposed genetalia, and he whilst proud of his physique did not need to have his sexual organs on display for everyone to see as they passed. It was a small pair of shorts, with an elastic stretch and a bright pattern of black leaves printed on electric blue fabric. Laughing when he saw it, he walked into a cubicle to attire himself appropriately. They clung to his muscular thighs like a second skin. Laughter bubbled from his lips when he saw himself in the mirror. "Humans have such a sense of whimsy!" he murmured to himself, as he made a mental note to research human fashion. It was his speculation that their fashion was just as diverse and whimsical as their many personalities.

Tossing a towel over his arm, he walked along the pink path. It took him to the Salt room, and would eventually take him to a communal soaking pool.

* * *

The noon rush was over at The Hangman's Noose, and Mary Elizabeth Gregory limped out of the Tavern. Most days, she was a little footsore after her shift, but a few minutes lying down in her bed and a hot soak usually took care of it. Today, though, a throbbing pain down her neck and down her entire left arm told her that a mere soak wasn't going to help. Yawning, she rode the turbolift up to Deck 595, where the Varuna Spa was located, and walked in, massaging one foot with the other as she leaned against the counter. "Do you have any openings available for a massage--both feet, neck, and shoulders?" She looked dazedly at the receptionist as the back of her head pounded.

"We do have openings. " The dark haired woman looked up from her scheduling screen, showing felinoid eyes. "The first available masseuse is Yorine. She has a 60-minute slot available in approximately 40 minutes. If you would prefer a male, then the wait is approximately an hour. You can use that time to soak in one of our pools and warm your muscles to allow for more effective massage should you so choose. "

"A massage with Yorine and a hot soak beforehand sounds lovely," Mary Elizabeth said. "Do the little bracelets alert you when it's time for your appointment?"

"Yes ma'am."

"All right, thank you. I'll just go and loosen up the muscles a bit, then." Mary Elizabeth signed the guest register and went to a changing room. She stood on the sizer, which scanned her measurements, and then ordered a bikini from the replicator. What had looked reasonable in the preview image felt anything but, once she put the skimpy bits of burgundy fabric on.

"I'm supposed to be seen in public in this?! What do they think I am, a fashion model?" Mary Elizabeth said to no one in particular. Her body was--average--even a trifle thin.

"Don't worry about it, hon," another woman in the locker room said, "you won't be showing anything that spa people haven't seen before. You look fine.
That style of suit flatters you."

"It does? Er, thank you. I think I'll bring my own bathing suit next visit, though. Well, have a good time!" Mary Elizabeth said to the other spa guest.

She collected a towel and then went to find the soaking pool. The path to it led through something called the Salt Room. What the salt was supposed to do, Mary Elizabeth couldn't fathom, but it was soothing, and breathing in it felt like breathing sea air. Mary Elizabeth continued on to the soaking pools.

And that was when she saw him.

No man should look that drop-dead gorgeous, especially a Vulcan, who only got in the mood once every seven years! Mary Elizabeth wondered if his bathing suit was a product of the spa replicator, too, a thought that amused her immensely. His suit left, well, nothing to the imagination and looked really, really good on him.

It wouldn't do to stare, so Mary Elizabeth laid her towel on a recliner nearby and stepped into the pool.

"Oh! Oh, god, this feels so good!" she gasped as delightfully warm water flowed over her aching shoulders. She leaned back to float on the surface and let the wet heat sink in.

His sigh echo'd hers, as he stepped into the pool from the other side. "Elements be praised, this is divine." As she leaned back it offered him a rather direct view of her profile. It didn't hurt to look; after all, she'd given him an appreciative look herself.

Appreciation warmed his gaze as he took in her slim body, breasts, the tops of her thighs, and her toes cresting the water. He'd seen many humans since he'd arrived aboard the station, and had yet to see one that was visually disagreeable. All colors of hair and shades of skin left him curious what other wonders their culture had. Is that why they enjoy life so much?

Elements. "Oh, are you a Romulan?" Mary Elizabeth asked. "I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Mary Elizabeth Gregory." She shifted out of the floating position to stand in the pool. "I never expected to have the chance to meet one of your people."

"I am indeed a Romulan." He chuckled softly at being recognized. His warm gaze met her eyes and the smile he wore increased slightly. "I have never been recognized by my speech pattern before. I am quite pleased to meet you, Mary Elizabeth Gregory."

"I've never heard a Vulcan invoke the Elements or imagined one coming to a spa, so it wasn't that difficult a conclusion to draw," Mary Elizabeth said, smiling. "They can be so stuffy and formal, and you are plainly less reserved than that--for which I'm glad. So did you come from ch'Rihan or one of the other worlds?"

"My logic is passable at best," he agreed, and then smirked down at his swimming clothes. Gesturing towards the offending garmet he couldn't help but laugh again. "I would have to agree with the less reserved than a Vulcan. I was born in the Captial city of Dartha and my name, lest I forget to give it to you, is Maiek i'Rhehiv'je s'Ethien."

"Maiek i'Rhehiv'je s'Ethien," Mary Elizabeth repeated carefully. "And I thought my name was a mouthful. You're welcome to call me Mary Elizabeth, by the way. How should I address you?"

"Your pronunciation is surprisingly good." Maiek complimented her as he settled himself back into the water. A sigh of content escaped him. "In informal scenarios please address me as Maiek. Do you regularly go by all three of your names?"

"Just the first two, which are a compound first name," Mary Elizabeth said. "Does your name have a meaning?"

"Yes...Romulan names have three parts. A Given Name, a Locative, and a house-Clan. The whole name is not used unless you are in an extremely formal scenario. My name..." and he paused for a moment to think "basically translates to Servant soldier of the clan Ethien, born in Rhehiv'je."

"Servant soldier, eh? I like it. That's essentially what I was when I was in Starfleet. I was named after two sisters who were queens of England, which is the country where I was born. My surname means 'watchful and alert,' which I am not feeling right now; this soaking pool has me quite relaxed."

He chuckled softly "It was more wishful thinking on the part of my parents." His expression softened a little "They had dreams of an officership in the Tal'Shiar and eventually a powerful political seat on the Council. I wanted no part of either, and yet here I am officially attache to the Ambassador."

"The Tal'Shiar?" Mary Elizabeth leaned her head to one side. "I can't see it. You know how to smile and laugh joyfully. You don't act as if you would enjoy making other people uncomfortable or afraid. I think attache to an ambassador is a good fit for you. What does an attache do, typically?"

"Would it surprise you to know, that officers of the Tal'Shiar would laugh and smile the same as I do in their off time?" he asked softly, knowing the subject was sensitive. The majority of the old regime had gone with the false Empress and waged war on their new Republic. "One's job does not define one's worth after all. As for my duties, scheduling mostly, the occasional meeting. It is not as they say exciting. The true joy in it lies in Ambassador t'Saeihr being interested in other cultures but being unable to truly explore them herself. It is my honor to explore for her."

"Well, I wouldn't want to tar all of them with the same brush," Mary Elizabeth said. "One of the worst leaders in Earth's history is said to have liked children. Some of his followers, who were part of his secret police force, could cry at an opera performance one night and then go out the next day and order mass killings. People are strange, no matter what species they belong to. We compartmentalise. I suppose we do that to stay sane, to have an escape from the aspects of our lives that we don't like but feel are necessary. I think I was trying to say that some people in secret police jobs like having the power to intimidate people, and I don't feel you would enjoy that."

"You are not wrong." he commented after having a quiet moment to think about what she'd said. "We do compartmentalize, and quite well the more atrocities one sees." How had the conversation come to this? Hearing a quiet beep, he glanced at the tiny pulsation of light under the water. "Your bracelet is glowing."

Mary Elizabeth glanced down at her bracelet and gave a disappointed groan. "I came for a massage, and I guess the masseuse is ready for me--just when I was getting to really enjoy the conversation! Maiek, if you ever get in the mood to try out Earth food, I run a pub called The Hangman's Noose on Deck 650. I would love to talk with you more. And if Earth food isn't your thing, there's always tea."

"I have found Earth foods to be quite...stimulating to the palate" there was definitely a hint of something deeper in that statement. Pools of ebony gazed at her from the pool, flickering appreciatively as she removed herself from the water. The Hangman's Noose, deck 650 would definitely be on his list of places to go.

 

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