Joint Duty Log - Ens Charlson & Noah Waterhouse - "I'll Wind You Up, You'll Never Tire"

Posted on Mon Dec 8th, 2014 @ 11:56pm by

3,130 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: All Hallows’

Among all the people on the ballroom floor, one stood out to Noah. The tall slim black haired woman who he'd seen in security during his stint cooling his heels in the brig. Even with the black cat mask, it was clear who was draped in the slinky pink dress, and he was pretty sure he'd heard someone call her Lily.

He breezed over to the band, being familiar with the AI his sister had selected since it was one of the ones he'd added to the family holodeck collection, and put in a request. The strings of the instruments started to fill the room with the theme song from a series of twentieth century comedy movies about a detective Clouseau: The Pink Panther.

He approached her from behind, humming along with the song.

Even over the music of the band, Lily could clearly pick out the soft humming coming up behind her. She turned to find one of her former "inmates" from the brig, one Noah Waterhouse. "Ah, so we meet again Mr Waterhouse, I do hope you weren't intending to sneak up on me like that were you? After all, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt would we." Lily said as she gave Noah a slight wink and a cheeky grin. "So what can I do for you?" She asked as she took a small step towards Noah.

A grin bloomed wide on Noah's face as he plucked his hat off his head and held it to his chest as he bowed to her with a flourish of his arm. He then dropped the tricorner hat back on top of his head, the feathers tucked into the band waving softly as the hat settled again. His free hand instinctively smoothed his damask vest with the woven pattern of pasta, skeleton fish, and skull and crossbones.

"Please, call me Noah," he insisted, and his holographic skull mask winked. "Might I be able to call you Lily?"

"Well what else would you call me?" Lily asked, knowing that Noah wasn't a part of the crew. Lily was actually drawn to Noah, which surprised her, she would not normally go for such a man as this, and she was sure that his sister would not approve. "So Noah, hows life outside of the brig?" She asked, not being sure what to say.

"I could call you Ensign Charlson, in respect for the hard work needed to earn your rank," he returned, then chuckled softly at her follow up question. "Other than the matter of replicating a new colander to replace the one lost, things have gone well since you let me out of the brig." He glanced around, looking for the holographic wings that stood above the crew and were anchored to the back of the Captain. "I was given the privilege of dressing a few people for tonight's occasion. My sister allowed me to make her mask and add flourish to her corset, and then there is a dragon and a phoenix wandering that were both my doing from head to toe. Though the people wearing them both bring the costumes to life admirably."

"That's amazing, I wish I could say the same for my costume, I made it myself, and it just seems quite second rate compared to yours and some of the others around here. I've never had a very good imagination when it comes to things like this. Maybe next time I'll get you to make mine, then it'll look a lot better!" Lily said as the music changed to a smooth tune that she didn't recognise. "Do you know this song?" She asked.

"The mask is adorable, and the dress suits you well. Sometimes simplicity in and of itself makes a profound statement," he mused, then tilted his head slightly to listen for a moment. The piece sounded familiar, but in that way that things do when they're used everywhere but not something found in your own music collection. All he could figure is that Pond had fed sheet music for more period appropriate stuff to the AI before turning them loose for the evening. He shook his head with an apologetic smile. "I do not, but if you'd care to join me on the floor, we could get to know it better together?" He held his hand out to her, dropping his nearly empty rum punch glass on a passing waiter's tray.

"I suppose we could, yes, just don't get too cocky now!" Lily said as she took Noah's hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. "So, how long will you be on board for?" Lily asked with a cheeky grin.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't often stay in one place long, but I am at the mercy of when and where they choose to release the Pelican to me... and when I can find a new pilot. Jonsey doesn't know his own limits, and it's part of the reason we ended up on the planet," Noah admitted with a soft sigh. "I may linger and visit my parents, who I think are hitching a ride back to Utopia Planitia on Vindi. They're around here somewhere, Dad insisted on crashing the party. Admiral's prerogative." His eyes flitted away from Lily's a moment to make a quick sweep of the ballroom.

"So do you get on with your parents then?" Lily asked, seeing Noah looking around the room. "Do you think they'd allow you to stay on the ship if you wanted to?"

"Oh, I get on with Mum and Dad just fine. I've been on my own since my time at the art acad, but after everything that's happened lately I think they'd both appreciate spending some time with me." He spotted the red leather his parents were wearing, dressed as Kahless and Lukara, as they headed out to the balcony. "I'm not sure if Pond would be keen on me sticking around, but if I had a reason to..." He shrugged, his eyes coming back to hers and he smiled.

"Well if you want to go and see your parents then feel free, we can always meet for lunch or something sometime maybe?" Lily said a little nervously, but still smiling at Noah. "There's lots of other people I can go and hang about with, or I might go back to my quarters, I need my beauty sleep." She said with a wink.

"I've seen you without the mask, the Flying Spaghetti Monster gifted you a pretty face. You don't need beauty sleep," he returned, his holographic mask winking at her again. "I think Dad's enjoying just blending in with people right now. If I go over, people will know he's Admiral Waterhouse, the XO's father... then they'll treat him different."

"And what about you, do they say anything about you being the Admirals son?" Lily said, blushing slightly behind her mask at Noah's comment, but also giggling slightly. "I wish I knew who my parents were. They both died in a fire after I was born. I went into care and then straight into starfleet, and now I'm here." Lily said, a slight tear in her eye.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Noah returned with a soft frown. "Do you have any other family?" The song finished up, and there was a slight pause before the next started. Noah guided her towards the refreshment table.

"This ship is my family at the moment, I was never told about any other family. The crew here have been good to me, and there's always someone that's willing to listen to anything I need to say." Lily said, picking two small cocktail glasses from the table and handing one to Noah. "You ever tried this one before?" She said motioning towards the glass.

"I know what it's like to have a starship crew as family, since both my parents are career fleet. I'm glad you're fitting in here," he said, eying the drink she offered him. "I don't recognize it offhand, but I haven't met a drink I didn't like." He took the offered cocktail glass with a smile, and raised it towards her. "To delightful company."

"Here here!" Lily responded as she raised her glass, while blushing ever so slightly. "So have you ever tried Starfleet?" Lily asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"Too many rules, people telling me where to go, what to do..." He shook his head as he sipped his drink. A smiled curved at his lips as he considered the taste of it. "I have too much of a wanderlust. I want to see everything, meet everyone, learn so much. While the fleet may send their ships many places, ultimately you're at the whim of a captain or admiral who may or may not share your flavor of curiosity." He shrugged. "The fleet provides a great many opportunities if you're inclined towards following its guidance, but I'm lucky enough to be able to make my own way for the most part."

"I suppose so, but what about all the people you can meet and the friends you can make?" Lily asked as she looked around the hall.

"I can meet just as many people outside of the fleet too, and if I want to nose into the fleet rosters, my father's an admiral, and my mother's got a reputation that precedes her by light-years. That'll break the ice on any party I choose to crash." He sipped his drink again. "I think it's snowing outside... do you want to take in the view on the balcony?"

"Well, I have always preferred the snow to any other weather!" Lily said in response to Noah's question. "And maybe your parents will be out there!" Lily remarked.

"You might like it better if my parents don't notice us," he insisted even as he smiled, holding his arm out for her to take. "Mum's not in uniform tonight, so she won't be on her best behavior... and Dad has a tendency to encourage and cover for her when he's not flashing his hardware."

"It can't be all that bad!" Lily said as she took Noah's arm so he could lead her out to the balcony. "What about your sister, how do you think she'd react?"

"The last time Pond caught me flirting with one of her officers, she all but drug me off by my ear," Noah admitted with a chuckle. He didn't confess it was partially because of the x-ray setting on the the holographic goggles that projected from the bridge piercing that was currently responsible for his skull mask. "You have nothing to worry about, as long as she doesn't think I'm interfering with your duties." He spotted his parents talking up a man dressed up as a Peacock, and proceeded to guide Lily to the other end of the balcony.

"So, nobody ever told me, what were you in the brig for?" Lily asked, curiously.

"Well, that depends upon who you ask," he insisted with a chuckle. "Ask that Frenchman who brought me in, you'll get an answer about impeding an investigation and the prime directive, ask my sister, it was because I was stupid enough to shove him and tied her hands from stopping his original foundation-less charge because she didn't want to see me charged with assault, even if it was a technicality. But really, it was probably because the Klingons were breathing down everyone's neck and making people tense." He leaned against the railing at the edge of the balcony, choosing to look inwards at his companion instead of outwards at the view. "I think Pond mentioned Commander PontBrillant's no longer your boss, yeah?"

"That's right yeah, not sure who my new boss is. Hopefully someone not too strict though, and hopefully not someone who will think I was wrong for what I did during the battle with the Romulans." Lily replied.

"What'd you do that someone might take issue with?" Noah scrunched his face in thought, and the holographic mask likewise contorted to match the movements of his face. His own actions during and after the battle could be argued to be less than ideal, but Noah felt secure in knowing what he did was right, even if it wasn't within the guidelines of a starship. Though rules are more of a suggestion anyways, right? That thought brought a smirk to his face, and he quickly bit it back. "I'm sure if you had good reason, a reasonable person would overlook if you broke any regs."

"I took over command of the department without authorisation, because I thought commander PontBrillant was otherwise engaged on the bridge!" Lily said as she looked around nervously.

"You're an ensign, yeah?" he asked with a laugh. "Did you do a good job of it, at least?" He leaned in close as he asked this, as if it was some conspiracy.

"I think so, but the tactical officer asked to see me, and word is she may be the acting chief." Lily said as she took a step closer to Noah.

"The blue one, with the handlebars?" Noah asked with a wink. He thought he'd seen the Andorian woman wandering the floor in a shimmery yellow dress, a mask of the same color, and her antennae covered with body paint to match. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Your XO has been known to overstep her share of bounds too."

"Yes but there's a difference between a commander overstepping bounds and an ensign overstepping bounds." Lily said, edging closer and closer to Noah.

"I know for a fact that she didn't spring fully formed, and ranking Lieutenant Commander, from our Dad's head," Noah returned, eying the shrinking space between them with a smile. "Though if you ask her, or our Mum, they might try to sell you on the yarn. It's a fact she's been pushing the boundaries since she was small, and the trick always lies in knowing when it's worth it, and being willing to own up if you make a mess."

"So do you think I was right or wrong?" Lily asked, still not sure if she'd done the right thing.

"That's something you have to decide for your own self. You're the one who has to look yourself in the mirror every day and live with the consequences. Doesn't matter what anyone else tells you, if you don't believe it." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, removing the remaining space between them, and spun her to look out at the view. Snow silently drifted down to cover the jagged crags of the alps, the valley below, and the waterfall that moved between the two with the sound of rushing water nearly silenced by distance, and the talk and music spilling out from the ballroom behind them. "For now, enjoy the party, and let your subconscious chew on that thought for a while. Hopefully by the time you face Zheer, you'll know your mind on the matter."

Lily tilted her head slightly to rest it on Noah's arm. "You know, you're a nice guy at heart, you probably didn't deserve the brig for whatever you did...and you're probably right that I should enjoy the party." She said, as she secretly enjoyed being so close to him.

"It didn't harm me none, so I'll let it roll of my back," he insisted with a soft shrug. "As for enjoying the party, you should absolutely trust a pirate when it comes to a party. Though when you're done enjoying the view for a spell, we should investigate the side ballroom. I hear there's spirited dance music to be found there. Also, there's Rum punch at the refreshment table that's delicious and on the way." He grinned wide as he suggested this.

"Is that your pirate side showing there?" Lily asked, then giggled a little at her own joke.

"I was made by two people linked by a möbius strip, so one could argue I have but one side," he returned with a chuckle, thinking of the matching möbius strip wedding bands his parents exchange when they married. He couldn't help glancing toward where he'd spotted them earlier, and shook his head finding they were still chatting up their peacock.

"So what will you do after this party then?" Lily asked.

"I hadn't decided yet. But I have to make sure I'm here for the removal of masks. Pond'll chew me out if I'm not," Noah explained. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Well there isn't really much in the way of a meal here, so maybe we could go to my quarters afterwards for something to eat?" Lily said, hoping to spend more time with Noah.

Noah closed his eyes with a soft smile. Pond was going to have a go at him for trying to seduce her crew at this rate, and he wasn't even trying! He shook his head, pulling back from Lily. "Perhaps a lunch, later in the week? I've been working nearly non-stop on costumes recently, and fear I'd crash if I tried to stay up much past the end of the masque. Falling face first into dinner isn't exactly polite, yeah?"

"Of course, sorry." Lily said, a little put down."So how many costumes did you make then?" She asked Noah.

"Two from head to toe," Noah answered. "I brought out your Captain's inner firebird. There's also a dragon wandering around that's my doing." Noah smirked at the mention of the dragon. "I also helped my sister and some of my crew with parts of their costumes."

"And which was your favourite?" Lily asked.

"The Phoenix and the Dragon are two halves to a whole, but it's the story they tell that will be my favorite in the end," he answered, looking to see where the two were. "It's nearly midnight, and then those who were crafty enough to keep their identity a mystery will be revealed."

"Ah, good, I have a duty shift at 0500 tomorrow morning, and I need a little bit of sleep before that. I will follow your lead." Lily said, stifling a small yawn.

"I can walk you back to your quarters, after the reveal, if you'd like?" he offered, then swallowed softly to stifle a sympathetic yawn of his own.

"I'd like that, thank you." Lily said as she headed towards the exit and started heading towards her quarters.

"Whoa there, wait for masks off first," Noah said, catching her around the waist and spinning her towards the dance floor. "Just as soon as that's done, I'll get you to your quarters, promise."

=/\= End Log =/\=

Ensign Lily Charlson
Security Officer
USS-Vindicator

Noah Waterhouse
Pastafarian Minister and Artist
apb Pond

 

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