Joint Duty-ish Log - LtCmdr Waterhouse & Cmdr PontBrillant - "But You Got Under My Skin"

Posted on Fri Aug 29th, 2014 @ 7:40am by Commander Amelia Waterhouse & Vlimar PontBrillant

2,490 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Are You Touched?

Following the event in his quarters, Vlimar thought and relived the events multiple times. What did he do wrong? Why did she leave so... Promptly? Confusion wasn't a feeling that Vlimar particularly appreciated, nor did he like having the feeling of something being left standing. He wanted to fix whatever happened. Therefore, over the previous hours, he had thought of a way to make it back to her, while adding a bit of humor.

He walked across the bridge, carrying a small gift bag, hopefully to make it up to Amelia. Arriving at her office, he took a deep breath and pressed the chime.

Amelia had retreated to her office when she arrived for duty, not feeling up to dealing with people today. She'd slunk back to her quarters the night before, once she was sure she'd returned her normal color, and hid in comic books for the evening until she finally let herself fall asleep. Now she looked over duty rosters from the various departments in anticipation of shipping out.

"Come," she called, expecting Rochelle or someone else who'd been on duty when she arrived for her shift that morning.

Vlimar looked at the door open and stepped inside the office. "Hello Amelia..." he said, softly.

As the door had started to open, she'd set down the PADD in her hand and looked up in anticipation of greeting whoever was waiting, but her eyes fell on Vlimar and the words were caught in her throat. Her eyes dropped to her desk, and she could feel a little color creep up on her cheeks. Why was he here? Maybe something duty related? She looked up again, smiling at him.

"Hi," she returned softly. She felt like a shy little girl, and was thankful when the door slid shut behind him, shielding them from the activities and the prying eyes of those on the bridge.

Vlimar smiled for a second, then extended the bag to her. "Oh, I got a little something for you," he stated, advancing towards her desk where she was shielding herself. "It's nothing much."

Amelia considered the bag with a tilt of her head. He was giving her something? She stood up to accept it, and nodded to the chair in front of her desk. "Tea?" she offered. The comfort of it might help take the edge off her nerves, and the fact that he came bearing a gift also helped take the edge off some. It made her think maybe she hadn't made as big of a mess of things as she thought.

Vlimar shook his head. "No, not tea. Although, now that I think of it, it would have been a great idea," he said, before reaching for the bag, playfully.

She smiled, pulling the bag out of his reach quickly and landing in her chair with a small giggle. "No, no, I gotta see what this is before I decide if i want an exchange," she returned. "I was actually asking if you wanted some," she added, waving her hand towards the wooden box that sat next to the green and white porcelain tea service.

Vlimar grinned, being genuinely amused. "Volontiers," he said, reaching for the box. Slowly opening it, almost like a pirate finally opening the treasure chest he had been looking for years, he noticed numerous tins, metallic, shining in the light. Each one were label grossly, obviously by a masculine handwriting. Pleased by what he was observing, he began looking at the writing on the tins, looking for something that would please his taste buds. "Anastasian Black Tea, Lapsang Souchong, Emerald Earl Grey. Quite the selection you have in there," he said, not removing his eyes from the box. Vlimar kept shuffling until, satisfied, he raised a tin from the box, observing it under the light. "I feel for a Yunnan Gold Tea," he stated, feeling adventurous. He then looked at the service pot and cups. They were a striking contrast with the modern, carbon-inspired or transparent cup Starfleet usually used. They were of asiatic inspiration, almost like traditional Chinese porcelain with an obvious artistic signature, rendering every piece unique and original. He slowly removed the pot and the cup. "You want some?" he asked, observing the tea set once again.

"Please," she answered, considering the dark blue gift bag that now sat in her lap. "I haven't had a chance to try that one yet, but Gran'Dad finds the most amazing things in his favorite shop in London. I suppose I'll have to ration the current selection, since it might be a while before the next care package." She frowned softly, moving the white rope handles off the yellow tissue in the bag, then sliding her hand inside by nudging the tissue aside. "The replicator pattern named Splinter is designed to fill that pot, there are multiple versions to get the right temperature for the various tea types."

"How about you fill the pot?" asked Vlimar as Amelia slowly, puzzled, pulled a small plush toy from the bag. The toy was a vintage representation of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, nicknamed "Mountie" on a horse. For description sake, the horse was of a dark down coat, with a large band of white on his nose. On his flank, on the left side, a maple leaf was showing, of a lighter shade of brown, traditionally made by the Mountie brushing a pattern counter the hair to distinct the maple leaf from the rest of the dark, uniform coat. The mountie was, in fact, wearing the traditional scarlet uniform, with blue riding pants, long brown boots and a Stetson hat. On the pants, a large yellow line, an historical combat identification as Cavalry regiment was contrasting the overall plush toy.

Vlimar smiled at Amelia, expecting to have to explain why and what the gift are for.

"It's cute," she said, turning the plush in her hands to look closer at it, her head tilted in her customary quizzical manner. "Canadian?" she asked, spying the maple leaf on the flank. She set it down carefully on the desk, making sure it was standing up, and collected the tea pot to fill it with water from the replicator.

Vlimar nodded. "Canadian, yes," he confirmed. "The other day, you were actually wearing a Stetson hat. So, I looked it up and got lost on the history of the Stetson company. Found out that they had been providing the Mounties with their signature for... well... ever. So, thought it would be something original for you to have," he stated with more detail than seemed customary for him. It was as if he was speaking to someone who wasn't there.

"I honestly don't know much about the company," she admitted, setting the tea pot in the replicator. Her fingers moved instinctively over the replicator controls, and there was a momentary shimmer around the tea pot. "Only the line in Doctor Who, Stetsons are cool, and a dear family friend who I called uncle said it warmed the cockles of his Texas heart to be able to give me my hat." She sighed softly as she picked up the tea pot to bring it back to her desk. "That, and it irked my mother something fierce whenever I wore it. If he was going to get a proper funeral, I would have worn the hat to it."

Vlimar nodded slowly. "Do you want me to bring you something else?" he asked, politely. He thought the sight would have pleased her. Now, he felt that he missed the mark completely and wanted to make amends.

"No, no," she insisted, smiling as she popped open the tea tin and loaded the little basket in the tea pot. "It's really sweet, and I love learning about things like that. Thank you."

Vlimar, not convinced, made a mental note to find something else for her. After all, he felt he needed to make sure she was happy. He smiled deeply as per accepting her comments and waited for his tea. "Well, officially, I am here to report to duty, Madam," he said, slowly raising from his chair, until half up. He then returned comfortably to his chair.

Amelia had been considering picking up the plush and holding it in her lap when Vlimar informed him there was an official reason behind his visit. The part of her that felt like she was only pretending to be the XO, that at some point an adult would come shoo her away from her playing make believe that she was an authority figure, made her sit up suddenly straighter. She moved the plush mountie and his horse to the corner of her desk, next to the picture of her with her Dad and Gran'Dad in front of Big Ben's clock face. She patted the horse on the head before pulling her hand back.

"Right," she said softly, collecting two of the tea cups. "Doesn't that usually happen sooner after arrival, and with a PADD featuring your orders?"

Vlimar laughed. "It does, indeed. But I am special," he answered, with humour. "And, for the PADD, I can go and get one, if you wish, Madam," he stated, slowly standing on his feet. "For the form, Commander Vlimar PontBrillant reporting to duty, Madam," he then said, putting himself at attention.

"A very special man," she returned with a laugh, waving him down into his seat again. "You are not going anywhere until we've tried this tea. I'll pull your orders up on my terminal if you're going to insist on proper protocol." She looked at the teacups she'd grabbed for a moment, and considered. "da Vinci or Donatello?" she asked him, reaching for one of the two that'd been left next to the tea box.

"I'm a da Vinci type of guy," he claimed, smiling. "Mona Lisa, the parachute, the helicopter... You know, the works," he stated, laughing. He observed Amelia take care of the tea and sat back down, waiting.

"da Vinci did some wicked cool stuff," she returned with a grin, filling one of the three tea cups that sat in front of her. She offered it over to Vlimar with a small nod to the honey and sugar that sat next to the tea box.

Vlimar nodded and took the cup. "Thank you," he stated. As he approached the cup to his lips, he noticed two identical swords, looking like old japanese katanas, hidden within the design. "Nice cup," he stated, before taking the sip.

"Noah made the set for me," she answered with a grin, filling her cup. She held it up under her nose a moment to just enjoy the aroma of it before she finally took a sip. "What do you think?" She smiled at the taste of it and waited for a second opinion.

Vlimar was pleased. The taste was different that he expected, yet quite rich and full. A bit lemony, but complex. It was strong, yet, not gunpowder green strong. "It's.. quite unique," he said. "Much richer than I expected," he added, satisfied. "What do you think?" he asked, returning the question.

"The flavor plays on the tongue, doesn't it?" She took another sip and considered. "I usually put honey in my tea, but it would distract from the other flavors that deserve the attention. I think I'm going to ask Gran'Dad to make it a regular in the tea care packages."

Vlimar smiled and nodded. "That seems like a good idea, actually," he acknowledged. "Perhaps, you can make him send you extra cans for me?" he asked, politely, yet teasingly. Vlimar took another sip of the tea, clearly enjoying the flavor, leaning back in the chair, taking his ease.

"You can always share my tea with me, as long as you don't mind the company," she offered, hiding behind another sip as her eyes fell on the plush mountie. She smiled as she sought his eyes again.

Vlimar smiled, almost laughed. She was clever, ruthless. He liked that in a woman, in good dose. "We have a date, it seems," he replied, chuckling. "Perhaps the company is what makes this tea so exquisite," he replied, softly.

"Great company can make even mediocre tea enjoyable, but it is a treat to find great company and tea at the same time," she returned. "Thank you again for the gift. I'm torn if he should stay here to keep me company on duty, or if he belongs on my bed."

Vlimar smiled widely at the comment. It was a double-entendre, at least, on his stand point. Amused, he asked, "What are the pros and cons of both options?"

"The pros of keeping him here? Well, he makes me smile, which can be useful at times. He's now occupying space that I'd been considering putting a potted plant or a small fish bowl in, both of which I'll neglect if I get busy. And he's a conversational piece," she counted out on her fingers, first by extending her thumb, then by tucking it away and extending her pointer finger instead, then by extending her thumb again the end with the two digits extended. "Cons of keeping him here? I already have a lot to prove at 24 and already being executive officer of a ship, especially one like Vindicator... And some might judge me childish for having it on my desk." She sighed softly. "As for taking him to my quarters, pro, he'd cuddle with me in my bed. Con, I don't spend much time in my quarters lately, so I wouldn't see him much."

Vlimar smiled. "If you kept him in your quarters, you could, indeed, cuddle with him. The rest of the time, you would see me on the bridge and on and about the ship, therefore, be reminded of him.", he answered. "Win - win," he concluded, smiling.

She smiled wide, "It's decided then," she returned. Smooth, she thought, her head tilted slightly. "And you'll get to see him again at some point, I did promise to make you dinner after all."

"You did," he confirmed while standing up. He finished his tea, smiled and concluded. "I am sure you have things to do, as I do. Thank you for the tea, it was a pleasure, as always."

"Thank you," she returned, standing up herself. "I'll see to it the official aspect of your visit gets all its T's crossed and I's dotted."

Vlimar nodded. "And now, it is done. The official presentation visit is done," he repeated. He smiled and turned to leave. "Have a great day, madam," he said, tipping the imaginary hat.

Amelia smirked, watching him walk out of her office. When the doors shut behind him, she sat back down and looked at the plush mountie on her desk with a grin.

=/\= END LOG =/\=

Lt Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Executive Officer
USS Vindicator

Commander Vlimar PontBrillant
Chief of Security
USS Vindicator

 

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