Joint Duty Log | LtCmdr Waterhouse & Cmdr PontBrillant - "The Sound Of Her Laughter Will Sing In Your Dreams"

Posted on Thu Aug 21st, 2014 @ 6:58am by Commander Amelia Waterhouse & Vlimar PontBrillant

5,731 words; about a 29 minute read

Mission: In the Dark
Location: Senior Officer's Lounge

-=- Personal Quarters of Cmdr. PontBrillant - Deck 2 -=-

Vlimar was sitting on his bed, reading a paper version of Le Comte de Monte Cristo, a popular novel written in the 19th Century by M. Alexandre Dumas. Although his version was quite old, it was far from being of any value, due to the numerous rips and tears of the actual book. As he finished his chapter, he looked at the chrono and shrugged, as he stood from his bed. He looked at the mirror and passed a hand in his hair. He was wearing black pants with a dark grey shirt, open at the neck. It was rather simple, yet efficient. Both comfortable and classy, he decided that it was proper for his dinner date.

Vlimar grabbed the book and put it back in his shelf, finished drinking his glass of whiskey, which was laying on his dresser for at least an hour and left his quarters, heading towards the lounge.

-=- Officer's Lounge -=-

Amelia had considered being fashionably late, but ultimately she wasn't patient enough. Instead she arrived at 1845 and waited at the bar nursing a colorful drink. She hadn't even bothered to ask what it was after telling the bar tender to surprise her. It was sweet, featured a little plastic sword as a toothpick through a cherry, and wasn't strong enough to taste the alcohol in it.

One black high heel tapped at the post of the stool she was perched upon, with a seam tracing up the back of her leg and disappearing under the black circle skirt she wore. She tapped at the side of her combadge where is was pinned near the scoop neckline of her mint green sweater as she sipped her drink and people watched. A string of pearls draped her neck and a pair of matching studs hid behind her hair which she'd left down.

Vlimar entered the lounge calmly and headed directly to the bar. He covertly approached Amelia and, as he stood next to her, waved at the bartender. "I'll have a glass of Tautavel, Gérard Bertrand if you have some..." he said to the bartender. He then looked at Amelia and said: "And for ze lady?" he said, imitating Pépé Le Pew's accent.

"I'm still working on this," she dismissed gently, holding up her Technicolor cocktail as she smiled at his accent. Originally she'd intended the comparison as a barb, but the way he took it and ran with it amused her. She was pretty sure he'd been looking to surprise her with his approach, but the mirror behind the bar had allowed her to spot him. "I may try some of what you're having with dinner though."

Vlimar nodded and grabbed his wine glass as it was poured by the server. He observed Amelia for a few seconds and smiled. He then slowly took a sip of his wine, then said: "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you," she said softly, letting her eyes travel over him as she smiled behind the rim of her drink. "You ain't so bad yourself," she returned.

Vlimar grinned. He felt the uneasiness of Amelia and, for some reason, he found it contrasting on how she was describe by Rochelle earlier. He slowly moved closer to her. "A bad day?" he asked, obviously bumping into her shoulder gently to shake off the shyness.

"No, my day was fine. Other than unpacking and finding I have more space than stuff... it feels off," she explained, tilting her head to one side to consider him. She'd wanted to get to know him, and now she's sitting here like a lump. She emptied her glass. "I'll have to ask my brother to do some more paintings for my walls, there's so much empty space now."

Vlimar nodded. "You have a brother?" he asked. "Tell me about him..." he added, while sipping his glass, while the server was pouring some of the wine into Amelia's glass, as per Vlimar's motion.

"Noah's my little brother," she said, holding a hand about seven inches above her head with a grin, to indicate how much taller he was than her. "He's an artist, gypsy, and a pastafarian minister. You'll have to see the paintings he's done... and my tea service." She collected her glass, and gave a sip of its new contents.

Vlimar nodded. "Sounds like an interesting fellow... Any other brothers or sisters?" he asked, softly. He slowly put the glass to his lips, while observing her face as she is about to answer.

"Just me and Noah, and from the way Mama tells it, what was involved in making us with her mixed up genetics, it's amazing there's two of us," Amelia insisted. Vlimar being so quiet was making her a little uneasy. "How about you, any siblings?"

Vlimar seems uneasy for a second. Speaking about family is always hard for someone who went away for so long to only realized that, upon his return, they were gone. He took a deep breath and smiled as much as he could. "Actually, I had a sister, Aurore. She passed, unfortunately, a long time ago. However, I keep in touch with my niece, Sofia, as often as I can," he said. He took a large sip of his wine. "Family is not my best subject for me, really..." he added.

"Parents?" added Vlimar, obviously looking for an occasion to get out of the family impasse.

Amelia reached out and laid a hand on Vlimar's, smiling sympathetically at his unease talking about family. She made a mental note to tread lightly in that area. "Dad's an Admiral, Mama's a lunatic," she explained with a wink. "Until recently they were both stationed at Utopia Planitia, Dad heading the fighter design team, and Mama was lead test pilot. You may have spotted them at the party the other night, Dad probably blended in with the other brass but if you didn't see my mother slinking around, you probably don't have a pulse." She laughed.

Vlimar, remembering the woman, indeed, nodded slowly. He looked for a second at the hand on his, hating this act of pity. Family was a subject he wanted to avoid, but it was simply because Vlimar saw this as a weakness, an area of strike for his enemies. He actually felt frustrated that, obviously, he let some of that weakness show and already felt at a disadvantage.

He slowly moved his hand from under Amelia's, pretexting to grab the bottle of wine and put some minimal amount into his glass. He then looked at Amelia and asked: "Would you prefer a table?" motioning the almost empty lounge.

"Please," she returned, her gaze falling to the hand he'd pulled away, and she couldn't help wondering if she'd done something wrong. Hopefully not, it was easy to over think these things after all and he was likely just going for the wine. She collected her glass, and stood from the stool she was perched upon. "What did you have in mind for the menu?"

Vlimar lead Amelia to a table, already lit with candles, an obvious sign that Vlimar expected that answer. The table was located in the middle of the window which offered a view into the empty space. "I was thinking something along the line of traditional Asian food..." he stated, looking at her for approval. The waiter was following, awaiting decisions.

Amelia smiled as she took in the candles and the view. How Vindicator had been lucky enough to get a docking position that left the lounge with a view unobstructed by Klingon shipyards, she would never know, but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Asian sounds lovely," she returned, fighting the urge to ask if it was Chinese, Japanese, or one of the numerous other options that region of Earth provided. It didn't matter, everything Amelia had ever tried that called itself Asian was delicious.

Vlimar helped Amelia sit, pushed her chair under her, then moved to his side of the table. "Now, I wasn't sure what you liked, so, I went a little nuts onto the order. We are going to have a small appetizer of Crunchy Coconut Rice, the main entrée shall be a Galbi. And, a wonderful desert shall follow, if you can..." he explained. "Basically, a fusion of Asian cuisines..." he added, playfully. "Oh, and some sake..." he concluded.

"You know the saying, a way to a person's heart is through their stomach?" she asked, and realized how that might sound, causing her to blush and drop her eyes. "Though we're still very much in the lust territory," she quickly insisted, then realized how that probably didn't sound any better. How does he manage to leave me so tongue tied, she wondered as she looked up to find his eyes. "Sounds delicious," she finally managed to say something she didn't think was completely idiotic.

Vlimar laughed. "You know you didn't make it any better, n'est-ce pas?", he said, while taking a sip of his wine, while observing Amelia blush. He then asked. "Do you enjoy the view?"

"I do," she answered, her eyes still meeting his. She wanted to insist she usually didn't insert her foot into her mouth like this, but suspected she'd only make it worse. Time to find a topic they could both handle. "What holodeck program were you coming back from yesterday?"

Vlimar smiled, as he noticed the swift subject change, which he was absolutely fine with. He slowly looked at the waiter putting down the warm bottle of sake on the table, pouring two glasses in front of the two officers. Vlimar took a sip of his ruby red wine and said: "A reproduction of the Banff National Park, basically. I use it to run cross country, up the hill, basically. It's a nice challenge and was easy to program..." he said. "if you wish to try it, I would be honoured to show you around..." he added.

"What kind if program do you usually run?" he asked as the appetizers arrived.

"I've heard of Banff, but never been. I'd love to see your program," she said, eying the appetizers, and deciding to wait and see what Vlimar picked up first. "For exercise and training, I've got a collection my mother programed over the years. My favorite is a little silly, done in a comic book style and gives me goons to abuse with my nunchuks. It's the program Mama made to teach me how to use them in the first place. Now I just use it to keep me sharp."

Vlimar nodded. Although he did his fair share of hand to hand combat over the years, including weapons training, he never saw the value of nunchuks over other traditional weapons. However, as most weapon training, it was usually a user's preference rather than an efficiency statement. "I was more of a kali man myself," he stated, smiling. "Do you enjoy music?" he asked.

"I love music," Amelia insisted, grinning wide. She'd been about to pick his brain more on the weapon preference, but the music easily distracted. "I try to wander a range of stuff, makes karaoke more fun when you're not always singing the same stuff every time."

The commander nodded. "Karaoke is not something I will try..." he claimed. "I enjoy listening to it, definitely not singing it," he added.

Amelia pouted. "Why not? Don't tell me you can't sing..."

"Oh, I can sing. It's just not pretty..." replied the Commander, laughing. He slowly grabbed his chopsticks and picked up some of the rice, along with some pieces of shrimps. "Dig in, dig in..." he commanded.

Amelia dismissively clicked her tongue, as she picked up her chopsticks like a pro. "Being able to sing well is not a requirement for karaoke," she insisted, gesturing with her chopsticks to emphasize her point before helping herself to the rice and shrimp. "You're probably not as bad as you think." Into her mouth went the food, and she grinned, closing her eyes, as she enjoyed it.

Vlimar smiled. The enjoyment of Karaoke is definitely not something that Vlimar had lived in his lifetime. Nor did he wanted to envision himself doing it. He continued eating his appetizer, taking a slight sip of sake. "So, I heard you were working in Intel?" he asked.

"I guess technically I'm not for now," she allowed, tilting her head slightly to one side as she reached for her sake. "After all, once they get their claws into you, they never really let go. We'll see how long this time before they yank me back." She realized she was subconsciously mirroring his actions and body language, something she didn't usually do unless she was trying to get information out of someone. She snorted softly, and shifted so she wasn't anymore. "I seem to have scared you away from the topic of music with my mention of karaoke... What type do you listen to?"

Vlimar nodded about the fact that, basically, once in Intel, always Intel. He knew this well himself, having lived the life of lies and deception for so long. "I enjoy good retro jazz, classical masterpieces and, mostly, some softer type, lyrical music. Opera and the genre," he said nonchalantly, knowing to expect kickback. Vlimar was, in fact, a classical man, he loved things that seem boring to others.

"Jazz can be pretty, but I depend on my brother to feed me the good bits. Could probably stand to listen to more," Amelia admitted with a shrug. "Opera was carefully indoctrinated into me from a young age. Do you listen to Terran, Klingon, or both?"

Surprised, Vlimar's eyes opened slightly wider. "Terran, uniquely. I do not find the Klingon versions agreeable to my ears," he stated, coldly. He wasn't sure if he was being played or if Amelia was, in fact, an opera enthusiast as he was. "Which one do you prefer?" he asked.

"I wander back and forth between both, depending upon mood and company. I absolutely understand Klingon opera is an acquired taste, it was mostly something shared between my mother and I, because Daddy and Noah don't like it," she explained, and realized she was prattling on about family. Eye on the prize, Pond, she reminded herself. She smiled at Vlimar. "I have an affection for La Bohème, saw a particularly nice staging at the Met in New York while at the Acad."

Vlimar nodded. "La Bohème is a classic. I enjoy it very much, myself. However, as cliché as it may appear, I am a fan of the Nozze di Figaro myself," he responded. He slowly took another sip of sake, finishing his appetizer. "Do you like modern interpretation or classical?" he asked.

"Marriage of Figaro is lovely, but I've only had the chance to listen to it," she admitted with a frown. "I certainly love a well staged classical interpretation... but some of the modern takes are wonderful too. I mean, opera was originally just entertainment for everyone, right? Now it's this elitist thing. It should be accessible. Sure, some of these reinterpretations can be horrible, I mean, did you hear about that version of The Beggar's Opera that someone did where they threw it into a bad parody of the Orion syndicate, borrowing heavily from The Threepenny Opera along the way? I just about died when they murdered Mack the Knife dragging it into poorly translated Orion, and that wasn't even from The Beggar's Opera to start with!" She shook her head, cradling her forehead in her left hand as she poked at her remaining rice with her chopsticks in her right.

The waiter arrived at that time with the main course. Vlimar smiled as Amelia was explaining her horror of some modern interpretation of opera classics. Vlimar agreed to her opinion and nodded. He took another sip of sake, taking the bottle and pouring some more into the glass of Amelia. "As long as you do not criticize the artists, per say, I will not disagree with you," he stated, smiling. "Art is art, however, every artist have a transcending reasoning to create as they do," he added, as he took a look at the entrées.

"I can't fault someone for trying, and I can even see where the potential could have gone..." she conceded, taking her refilled sake glass with a nod of thanks. "It was just difficult sitting through, knowing what Orion should sound like. Everyone has to start somewhere though..." She sipped her sake, looking over the food the waiter had just brought to the table.

Vlimar nodded. He smiled as the waiter served some of the food onto Amelia's plate, then onto Vlimar's. The server even dared stating "Bon appétit" to the duo, before leaving. Vlimar, impressed, smiled at Amelia and planted his fork into his food. "We all have to start somewhere. Tell me about your first time," he stated, taking a bite of his food. Realizing the double entendre of this sentence, he added "As an intel officer, your first mission..."

Amelia smirked at his choice of phrase, and took a bite of food as she considered how she wanted to answer. That mission had been a big deal for someone so young and inexperienced, and she was still trying to get a feel for this man who sat across the table from her. Sure, what she could read in the basic service record that came in with his transfer orders implied she could probably speak candidly about at least some of what happened, but there was more information to be found, if she wanted to seek it. She still hadn't made up her mind if she was going to or not.

"I know so little about you, and yet you want me to lay out over dinner stuff that I'm supposed to check your credentials and your security clearance for before speaking of," she observed, lips curled into an amused smirk and an eyebrow raised. She brought the sake glass to her lips again while she waited for his response.

Vlimar smiled. He waved at the waiter who immediately made his way towards him. He grabbed a PADD from his service pouch and nodded to the waiter, who moved away. Vlimar entered some informations on the PADD, then extended the PADD to Amelia. "For your eyes only," he stated, taking a bite of the entrée. On the PADD, a more complete service record of Vlimar was shown, still with redacted areas, but would provide a good picture of his background

Amelia couldn't help laughing when it became clear why he'd collected the PADD, shaking her head softly. "It's not usually considered polite to just whip it out in the middle of dinner," she teased, even as her eyes skimmed the contents of the PADD in a business like manner. Everything seemed to be in order, and with another piece in the puzzle, she couldn't help wondering if that was perhaps part of the reason he could keep her so off balance.

"I fell into Intel's arm quite by accident, but let's just say a lucky mix of comfort in areas they needed, certain skills sets, and a situation with my superior on the ship I was posted at the time lined up to leave me undercover for two years, collecting information on a low level scum in a weapon distribution ring, trying to find the more competent and dangerous members of the ring," Amelia allowed.

Vlimar nodded. "An usual first time... Boring and event-less," he stated, smiling. He took the PADD back, wiped the information off of it, unlogged his security codes and extended it back to the waiter who approached to grab it. "So, Intel for a while, then; now, an XO. What happened in between?" he asked, while drinking a bit of sake.

"Hardly event-less," she dismissed with an eye roll. "It was fairly routine for most of it, but then the fat bastard decided he wanted to play with a Starfleet Captain. It got a little messy because of how stupid and greedy he was, but that's how I met Rochelle. She was Levine's XO at the time, and despite the mess made by the fat bastard, we managed to wrap up my mission and get Levine and her crew out of the middle of it," Amelia insisted, bringing another bite up to her lips. She paused. "Since I was still so young at the time, Intel decided not to throw me right back in, and left me sitting on the Griffin as chief of security for a couple years."

"A change of scenery is never a bad thing, especially when one's young enough to benefit..." he stated, eating his meal. "And, as far as I know, the Griffin was a pretty good ship..." he added, looking at Amelia for approbation.

"Yes, the Griffin was a good ship," Amelia agreed, even as she reflected on some of the less enjoyable officers she'd met there. "I think Commodore Levine, her captain while I served, she was at the Academy when recent events went pear shaped..." She frowned, poking at her dinner. She would have to see if anyone had heard if the Commodore and her daughter were okay. "Since the Griffin, my assignments have mostly been fleeting and transitory. Successful across the board, but after the first assignment, they all just feel... lacking?" She shrugged. "I feel like I'm doing all the talking here. Do I need to flash you my credentials now?" She winked as she took another bite.

Vlimar smiled and shrugged. "I'm an old man now, compared to you..." he stated, more in the professional sense than the actual age. "Was part of the previous Vindi, as Chief Security, then was recruited by who we called back then the Starfleet Secret Services. My first job was a Fighter Pilot and Explosive Expert there, where I was involved in multiple missions... which are still sealed to this day," he stated, eating his food. "I continued to work there until I reach my first Command, of a convert ship, used for infiltration and neutral zone security," he continued.

Amelia's eyes widened a little when Starfleet Secret Services passed his lips, and she quickly hid behind her sake cup as she listened. She had suspected there was a lot more going on with this man than the cool surface spoke of, but she hadn't expected that. When he paused, she looked up at him again. "A whole covert ship? I've only ever worked alone, with a handler or contact to keep me in touch with the mothership, so to speak. What was it like to have a whole ship?"

Vlimar smiled deeply and softly. He remembered his days with the SSS fondly. "Let say that it was a very unique situation," he stated. "When you have no place for errors, as a whole, it creates a tight knitted group of individual, striving for excellence..." he continued. "And the stories... Oh my... One day, one day," he concluded, almost speaking to himself now.

"Nothing you'll share now?" She leaned forward with interest and a grin.

Vlimar smiled and approached Amelia. "Have you heard of the Insurrection mission?" he asked, lowering the volume and the tone of his voice, almost taking a solemn tone.

"They mentioned it at the Acad," she answered, trying to sound casual about it. "But that was so long ago, I could probably stand a reminder." She winked to make it clear she was teasing, though she almost admitted she was fuzzy on the details. She'd been eleven when it'd happened, and it starkly reminded her how much older this man sitting across the table from her was.

Vlimar laughed slightly. He knew that it was a long time ago, a time where tensions to the Federation were external, nor from within. He also knew that the Insurrection Operation was partly declassified by the CinC, due to recent pressure from the Federation. He felt he could adventure himself a little, without providing too much details, enough to entertain the conversation. "Well, within that covert ship, as a Strategic Operations Commander, we entered the neutral zone to identify the position of Romulan Warbirds, which we believed that the Rommies were stacking, preparing for a surprise attack. We ended up discovering a warbird, two light years from the initial position. We managed to change the signature of a Klingon vessel into a Federation Olympic Class vessel, which caused it to, basically, get blown apart within seconds," he stated, laughing. It was obviously not the typical funny story to tell the family during holidays dinner, but, for an ex SSS Officer, this is was pure gold of comedy.

Amelia laughter was high and musical. She shook her head ever so slightly, not out of disbelief but in amusement at the cleverness of the trick. "And who's clever idea was it?" she smiled as she asked and turned her attention back to her food long enough to take another bite. Good food, great company, and she finally seemed to have pulled her foot out of her mouth.

Vlimar smiled. "Mine, of course," he stated, as if it was an obvious response. "Well, I actually did not advise my CO of the time, dear old General Adams," he stated, shaking his head. He finished his plate slowly, drinking the rest of the sake in his glass, smiling at Amelia.

"Of course it was," she returned, as she'd fully expected that answer. She was almost disappointed as she found her plate empty when she went for her next bite. "Why didn't you?"

Vlimar shrugged. "Perhaps something to learn for your new position.", he stated, without trying to be paternalistic. "If they are not aware, they will always have deniability," he stated. "If you trust your CO and your CO trusts you, then this is something that can be done without even mentioning it. We all work for the same ideals, the same team. Sometimes, we have to take one for the team, hoping it will be the right decision," he stated, as he looked at Amelia kindly. "Of course, I am not telling you what to do, rather explaining my experiences, if they can be of assistance to you."

Though she welcomed the advice, and smiled politely at it, it did serve to draw her out of the moment. It reminded her of the responsibility that her friend had laid on her shoulders, and that the man across from her — who tempted her like the flame does a moth — had so much more experience than she did. That wasn't going to stop her, she didn't get where she was playing it cautious.

"Of course, and if I'm going to be successful I should take every chance I can to learn," she answered, a finger tapping on the rim of her sake cup. "Be it first hand, or listening to others." A dazzling smile, hopeful that this wasn't becoming just a mentor-ship.

Vlimar nodded. "Prudence is a great quality, milady. One that you seem to handle pretty well," he stated, smiling. Vlimar waved at the server who removed the plates and the sake glasses and left the table empty. There was, as all good meals, a delay between the main entrée and the dessert, leaving time for the guests to discuss matters. "Now, as an XO, you will notice that finding social connections with people just got slightly harder," he stated.

"Slightly?" She laughed nervously, shaking her head. "Yes, I've already started to notice that." She sighed softly, letting her eyes drift to the window above their table.

Vlimar smiled. "You will get used to choosing your company wisely, let me assure you," he stated. "Look at me... Bad choice..." he stated, laughing as the waiter was coming back to the table for desserts.

Amelia's eyes fell from the window, meeting his, and she raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to insist you're the big bad wolf?" she teased, though she was genuinely curious why he'd said what he did.

"Perhaps I am..." he responded, smiling. The server arrived with various choice of desserts, on a platter. Mostly chocolate filled, Vlimar looked at the Fusion Chocolate Cake and nodded. "What would you like?" he asked Amelia. "I wasn't sure if you were a chocolate lover, so I asked for some other options," he said, pointing to the other tray, where fruit based desserts were located.

"If you are, you absolutely must tell me who made your sheep suit, it's very convincing," she quipped with a smirk, her eyes drifting over the deserts. There were too many to choose from and they all looked delicious. "I just love food, all of it looks great. You pick for me."

Vlimar smiled and picked a chocolate raspberry fudge cake and put it in front of her. He smiled. "If you let the suit convince you, you are in for hell of a ride..." he stated, taking a bite of his own cake, laughing.

She grinned wide at him before her eyes dropped to the cake he'd placed in front of her. "I'm always in for a wild ride, they're the most fun," she insisted, taking her first bite of the cake. Her eyes rolled back, closing as the rest of her face showed just what she thought of the cake. Delicious.

Vlimar smiled as a coffee pot was put in front of the two officers. "I can see you dislike the cake, perhaps you should try another one?" he said, grinning.

"It is so horrible, I think I have to take another bite, just to be sure how bad it is," she returned with a wink, another bite and another euphoric look washed over her face.

Vlimar nodded. "It is settled then, chocolate-raspberries... a win,' he stated, pantoming making a checkmark. "What else could bring this look of euphoria, if I may ask?" asked the Commander.

She almost said that him joining her in her quarters after this could... but somehow that seemed wrong. Where normally she wouldn't hesitate, there was something else going on here, something about a thrill of chasing and being chased that made her not want to hurry it. But if he were to ask? She didn't think she could say no. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders coyly.

Vlimar smiled and sips his coffee. He slowly finished his small cake and looked back at Amelia with a sincere smile. "It has been a lovely evening," he stated.

"It has," she agreed. Her eyes dropped to the cake, and she sighed softly. Last call. She raised her eyes again, finding his. "I hope we can do this again," she added.

Vlimar nodded. "I hope so as well," he stated. "You are a lovely company..." he added.

She felt herself blush, and mentally cursed herself. She never blushed. Never. Yet here she was, responded like some innocent little girl to his small complements. She tried to hide behind a bite of cake... the last bite of the chocolate-raspberry delight. Time to accept the fact this dinner was coming to a close. She set down her fork, pushed back at her chair a little. Should she stand now, wait for him to help her up? She didn't know.

Vlimar noticed that Amelia pushed her chair, so he basically jumped up and moved swiftly around the table to help Amelia up. He extend his hand so she could grab his. "Perhaps you would like to take a walk by the viewport?" he asked, softly.

Amelia laid her hand in his, accepting his help up. It was odd to her, these small little things he did, but it made her feel special. She nodded to his question, smiling. "That would be lovely."

Vlimar smiled and lead the way towards the viewport. He looked outside as they approach. "Why Starfleet?" he asked, plainly.

"Excuse me?" The question caught her completely off guard, and she blinked at him for it.

Vlimar grinned, then motioned at the stars. "You had to choose a side. Why Starfleet?" he asked, obviously referring the upcoming civil war.

"Because Starfleet's right. Because those Fed First assholes are executing good people," she insisted.

"Fair enough," he answered, in agreement. He turned and looked at her. "Shall we do this again?" he asked, smiling.

"You don't get an answer to a question like that without answering it yourself," Amelia insisted, eyebrow raised.

Vlimar smiled widely. "Absolutely. Next time, you pick the menu," replied Vlimar.

"Next time, I'm cooking," Amelia insisted before she even realized the words coming out of her mouth. "That wasn't what I was talking about though... why'd you side with Starfleet, coming out of retirement to do so even?"

Vlimar smiled. "For next time, for next time..." replied the man, laughing. "Until then, I will look forward to seeing you," he stated, clearly deciding to end it there for a first date.

"I- but, I told you," she protested.

Vlimar nodded. "You have, but we must keep something for our next meeting, don't we?" he asked, nagging Amelia. "Besides, I have to find a reason..." he added, laughing, obviously misleading Amelia. He approached her, kissed her on the cheek, twice, as the French tradition dictates and added "Thank you for the evening."

Amelia opened her mouth to protest, to keep asking. She wasn't the sort to let things go, she would sink her teeth in and lock her jaw in place when necessary. Then he moved close, close enough she could smell him, and his lips gently brushed her cheek and her heart started to pound. All other thoughts were gone, and she found herself murmuring her reply, "It's been lovely, thank you."

The man, taking a last sniff of her perfume, almost to register it in his mind, slowly began to move away, until his hand slowly pulled away from hers. As their hands separated, he turned and began to walk towards the door, a wide smile appearing on his face. He exited the lounge.

-=- END LOG -=-

Lt Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Executive Officer
USS Vindicator

Commander Vlimar PontBrillant
Chief of Operations
USS Vindicator

 

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