Joint Personal Log | Capt Ivanova & Cmdr PontBrillant - "Turn To Stone" PT. II/II

Posted on Sun Oct 19th, 2014 @ 2:36am by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Vlimar PontBrillant

2,579 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Are You Touched?

Vlimar pressed closer to Rochelle until he was well inside her personal space. He looked at her, his soft smile hanging on his lips. He reached towards her with his right hand, but suddenly remembering a promise he'd made previously, he moved to lay it on the side of the animal Rochelle held. His smile then became much warmer. "Take good care of her Porthos, I like her." He murmured to the creature, patting him.

Swallowing hard, the delicate little woman watched as his hand passed her and came to rest against the big stallion's ribs. He'd remembered and honored his word, and for that she was truly grateful. In that moment, Vlimar PontBrillant had begun to gain her trust -- something incredibly hard to do. "He will." She said with a soft smile of her own and gathered up her reins in preparation of leaving the barn. "I'll be good to him as well."

Vlimar smiled and nodded, as he skipped back to Aramis and simply jumped up the saddle, setting his foot and grabbing the bridle, unfastening the restrains. "Ready when you are... Take to the left upon exiting...", he barked, getting ready to give the go to Aramis.

Vlimar smiled and nodded as he skipped back to Aramis and simply jumped up into the saddle. Setting his feet in the stirrups, he gathered up his reins and leaned forward to unfasten the lead rope tying the horse. "Ready when you are... Take the left upon exiting!" he barked, getting ready to give the go to Aramis.

"As you wish!" Rochelle swung herself up onto the bare back of the chocolate colored stallion. His height made her usual 'cowboy mount' a rather delicate and nearly impossible maneuver, but with a small bit of effort she managed to settle. Shortening up her reins, she gave the horse his cue to go forward and was immediately met with the swish of a tail and the powerful lurch of an animal swinging from dead stop to lope in a single stride. The left took them back towards the vineyard, the sun just reaching it's golden hour as it began to set and Rochelle relaxed into the rocking gait of the horse beneath her, looking over her shoulder in wait for Vlimar.

"This is your tour." She called to him with a grin.

Vlimar, who sent his horse after Rochelle, took the time for her to settle without having the stress of following the other horse. Once settled, Vlimar slowly pressed on Aramis' side who immediately accelerated with his powerful legs, passing Rochelle as she was stating that she wanted the tour. Aramis and Vlimar rode parallel to the lines of vines, slowing down gradually to be side-by-side with the red head, heading away from the building towards a forest which seemed to be bordered by a significant amount of vines. The sun was setting, slowly, as the riders rode towards it.

"You don't mind a little wooden area, I suppose?" he asked, smiling.

"Not at all." The redhead responded, keeping her hands low and giving Porthos his head. The horse seemed appreciative, content to simply tuck his chin and roll along at their leisurely pace. The crisp air was friendly to them all, leaving them room to breathe and giving just enough bite to leave them fresh. "I trust your discretion." Rochelle added, tangling her fingers in the bits of mane at her stallion's withers.

Vlimar nodded wordlessly as he pushed Aramis forward, taking the lead as he continued accelerating consistently to a far faster pace as he approached the woods. It was dangerous, but Vlmar knew the area better than anything in his life having followed the road thousands of times before. As his horse's nose almost reached the limit of the forest, he took a sharp turn to his right, accessing a small, narrow trail that was surrounded by trees and inhabited by various kinds of birds.

The allure was quite comfortable for someone who knew the region, probably less for a newcomer. However, Vlimar knew Rochelle's ability with horses and her confidence, both elements mixed with Porthos' aggressive nature and intelligence would be sufficient enough for her.

The black stallion crossing her path forced Rochelle to tug Porthos into a half halt and turn to avoid a collision. The move was risky without a saddle, but the woman somehow stuck with her mount even as he was forced to clear a small, fallen log. Her eyes flashed brilliantly with acceptance of the challenge Vlimar had cast in her direction and she kissed to the bay stallion, pleased when his ears flicked back to listen to her command. The feel of the horse finding a new gear and kicking into a gallop was far different than the lightning fast fury of the Arabian she'd ridden on Qo'noS. The two breeds were polar opposites, Porthos being so much larger and heavier built than the speed bred desert horse. It was magnificent, blistering, but and power ratio was far superior as Porthos surged forward in his high kneed gait. Lucky for Rochelle, he was smooth as satin to ride. Even in the relative safety of the holodecks, a tumble would be disastrous. "Cheeky!" She teased the Frenchman, her horse's ears flicking forward as if honing in on his master in agreement.

Vlimar smiled widely, giving her a thumbs up and winking. As the horses followed the winding path, almost instinctively, the woods seemed to slowly retract from itself. They widened into a sparsely wooded thicket which, with the sunset, seemed almost foggy and mysterious. Slowing Aramis down, Vlimar pointed around himself. "We are entering the ancestral part of my land," he explained, "Hundreds of years ago, this place was the surrounding part of my family's land." he added, slowly moving his horse towards a thicker high grass area.

Rochelle was forced to lean forward as she pulled Porthos up, the stallion had other ideas and hopped and skipped along until he realized she wasn't going anywhere and drew to a walk. She patted the beast as he blew and tossed his head, the coolness of the air begging him to continue on and yet he listened ever so obediently. For that, Rochelle was grateful as her attention was drawn elsewhere -- the depth of the woods and the clearing having called to her senses as she followed where Vlimar pointed. "It's beautiful..." She admonished him, allowing the fact the very loam her mount crossed had been cultivated by centuries of PontBrillant.

The Frenchman pushed his horse on wards to the other side of the tall grass as the light began to fade and revealed an old wall of stone. It had been invaded by trees and weeds, but Vlimar proudly guided Aramis around it, touching the wall with his hand and waiting for Rochelle to join him. It was crippled, dilapidated, but still kept the distinctive appearance of a defense fortress even after having aged for such a long time. As Rochelle arrived within earshot, Vlimar looked at the stone buttress, allowing his hand to rest on it as he said; "We call it Le Coeur du Domaine. Hundreds of years of history, defended our land for centuries, still standing tall where it is." He smiled proudly as he looked on at the ruins.

Visions of the crusades flooded the redhead's mind as she allowed Porthos to pick his footing around the larger fallen stones and hidden hazards within the waves of grass. It had been one of her most favorite periods of history to study and now, for a moment, she reveled in what it had left behind. Gazing up at the dusk-lit turret she couldn't help but be left in awe. "Do you have a definitive date?" She asked, the idea of such history leaving her tingling. Few ever had a chance to view something outside of guided tourist traps and now she knew such a thing existed within the palm of Vlimar's hand any time he left for France.

Vlimar smiled, patting the tower. "1191, the earliest signs of this tower. It has been rebuilt so many times, but, during all those years, she never kneeled." he claimed with a proud hint in his voice. "Troisième Croisade" he added, settling an anxious Aramis.

The third crusade. Rochelle nodded, shifting her seat on her mount and looking up in awe. The light of the setting sun was steadily being choked by the trees, but what did filter through illuminated the top of the tower and mist that had begun to settle across the thicket's ground. "Such history. You're a very lucky man to be able to just ride out and touch something like this." Porthos sidestepped gently, his ears swooping back to listen to the steadiness of her voice as he began to pick up on Aramis' anxiety. The chill in the air began to deepen, promising of light frost come morning and the entire setting made Rochelle's heart ache for home and Earth. Apple orchards and vineyards, pumpkins and falling leaves. Autumn was one of her most favorite times of year.

Vlimar nodded. "I realize I am." he said gently. While looking around him, he suddenly realized that the sun was about to completely set and as much as he knew the trails, he wanted avoid leading his horse blindly down a path. He slowly guided the horse towards the trail, passing next to Rochelle so close that their boots almost touched. "You look beautiful, as always." he said as his horse past by hers, regaining its footing down the path.

"That's your opinion." Rochelle chuckled as she reined Porthos around and cruised alongside Aramis. It was hard to feel especially radiant when she was stuffed in her duty uniform, an outfit that become more of a second skin of the years than anything else. Getting lost in thought wasn't something she could do - not that she'd ever just lapse into pondering fashion - as the horses, knowing they were going home, walked at a far quicker pace than they had when wandering out. The redhead was forced to ask for half-halts every few strides until the big stallion she sat astride finally gave in and settled for falling in step with Vlimar's.

Darkness swelled and blanketed the forest quickly, giving way to the sounds of summer's last peepers trying in vain to keep up with the nipping cold and she looked across to the fading outline of her companion as they rode on through it. "Tell me," she began, hooking a single finger around the buckle of her reins, "what's your plan, Vlimar? What are you hoping to accomplish?"

Vlimar looked back at her as the question hit, almost surprised by its candidness. He smiled out of the corner of this mouth, then slowed his horse to a stop, adopting a more comfortable position while Aramis dropped his head to the ground. "Hoping to accomplish..." repeated Vlimar, obviously thinking about his answer while looking at Rochelle. "In general I wish to accomplish many great things, but of all those great achievements planned... I wish to make you mine. I want to be with you and I really don't know how to do this..." he stated, showing open hands to the air. "I want to be with you." He added with that lopsided smile.

Seeing Aramis halt, Rochelle drew Porthos up as well, putting her inside leg on him to guide him to come about and face Vlimar and Aramis as the man began to speak. "The thing is..." She began, adopting a crooked smile of her own, "I don't belong to anyone, not even myself." Rochelle shrugged lightly. She knew he was being genuine, the same soul that had professed himself to her back in the arboretum so many weeks ago. "And I honestly feel that I would hold you back from accomplishing your goals in life. I told you that I'm no good, that my agenda doesn't serve well for anything but Starfleet." and yet it hadn't stopped him from doing his damnedest to romance her. He was stubborn, persistent and maybe a bit sadistic, and that was likely what curried her favor.

Vlimar nodded and smiled. "My goals in life are already accomplished. I came here without expectations, without hope. You gave me hope, you gave me something to hope for." he answered, softly. "You can say that you are married to Starfleet and I admire that. But Starfleet isn't going to hold you in his arms when you need comfort, it won't be there when you need to speak about your day without being afraid of who might hear, it won't be there to give you the gift of love." he continued, taking a deep breathe prior to ending his sentence.

Beneath her, her horse shifted his weight, once again lacking amusement in the fact that they'd come to a halt and were delaying their return back to the warmth of the barn. "Vlimar..." the pint-sized woman began, her head shaking ever so slightly as her eyes leveled on him through the obfuscating darkness, "We've already talked about this. I'm flattered, really I am, but the point remains that I'm not..." She sighed, looking away. "I'm not ready." Her voice, this time, was much softer and she shrugged even though she doubted he could make out her dark uniform against the tree-line.

Landon had died close to four months ago. Four agonizing months in which she hadn't allowed herself the chance to truly let him go. She hadn't allowed herself to heal or mourn and had instead thrown herself into the role of Captain bent on preserving his honor and legacy, bent on filling those massive shoes he left behind. "Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be ready." Rochelle's smile had faded into one small, feeble and filled with honesty and sadness. "What I do know is that I can't run the risk of losing anyone else like that. My heart couldn't take it."

Vlimar nodded as she spoke. "You cannot be ready for love, my dear Rochelle." he stated, shrugging slightly, an action that probably wasn't noticeable in the darkness. "Anything that you don't fear of losing isn't worth loving." he added softly. Aramis was also fidgeting, anxious to get going as the night's veil fell around the two.

"I suppose that's true..." She agreed, nodding through the darkness and picking up her reins again. "but when a heart is broken, it takes time to heal and resurrect itself." Rochelle continued, her brow knit together in thought, "It's not ready. It's barely begun learning how to beat again."

"Then I can only hope that he will beat for me, someday." he stated, offering a soft smile, knowing very well that, through the veil of darkness, it went and passed without being noticed. He turned his horse and began to walk towards the barn.

The young Captain's eyes closed against the conversation, there was nothing more to say. Wordlessly she asked for the big bay stallion to follow the other back down the darkened path, though she knew her own command overrides could have brought the program to a screeching halt. Chasing the sun, she thought, was fruitless -- but she'd never say as much to him or anyone else.


--- End ---

Captain Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E

Commander Vlimar PontBrillant
Stragetic Operations Chief
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E

 

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