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

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

2,231 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Are You Touched?
Location: CO's Ready Room

Vlimar approached the ready room, taking a deep, hopeful breath. He knew, in theory, that Rochelle was not on-duty - if such a distinction actually existed with a Commanding Officer. He knew, however, that she wasn't manning the bridge at that time and simply assumed that she would be in her ready room. He'd been working on a little horseback riding program and hoped that Rochelle would be intrigued by the idea. But, in all reality, the Commander had simply been searching for a pretext to see the redhead as he hadn't lain eyes on her for awhile since his treasure hunt that had lead to the flowers on the observation deck.

Wearing his all black civilian clothes, ones that still reflected the military look he felt most comfortable in, Vlimar came to rest in front of the Captain's ready room door. He pressed the chime and waited to see if his guess was right.

"Enter." Rochelle called as she sighed and looked up from the PADD she'd been reading concerning the Klingon issue and Noah Waterhouse. The distraction was a welcomed one, regardless of what it was at that point.

Vlimar walked in as the door opened. He offered a gracious smile to Rochelle. "Good afternoon." he stated, as the door shut behind him.

A small smile tugged at Rochelle's lips as she watched the Frenchman appear from behind the door. "Good afternoon." she echoed in greeting and set the PADD on her desk aside. "What can I do for you?"

Vlimar smiled and shrugged. "How busy are you?", he asked.

"Relatively, but I could use a break." It wasn't a lie, the woman had worked nearly twenty-four hours a day since the inception of their bizarre little mission. "Why?"

"Well, if I could tempt you on a nice, thirty minute riding program?" he asked, his smile never fading. "It is holodeck, but still, would be interesting..." he offered.

A sanguine brow lifted as she considered the offer and leaned back in her chair to regard him, "Oh?" She asked, her amusement hard to conceal, "I'd thought you'd had enough of riding with me down on Qo'noS." The Captain chuckled lightly at the memory of her spirited gray equine partner and the hectic ride they'd taken down the beach.

Vlimar smiled widely. "Well, in this case, I do control the parameters of the experience..." he replied, approaching her desk and offering her his hand "Shall we?" he asked.

"Sure. We can go on your custom pony ride." Rochelle chuckled, and placed her hand in his, uncrossing her legs and getting to her feet. "Lead the way, dear Commander, lead the way."

Vlimar chuckled and helped the Captain to her feet and began to walk towards the door, not releasing her hand.

With J.A.G now lurking around the ship, Rochelle was mindful to carefully excise her hand from the Frenchman's before they left the quiet of her ready room. Rumors were already racing about the ship and squashing them was proving to be as difficult as trying to herd cats or nail Jello to a tree.

The walk to the holodeck was uneventful, small talk and idle chatter made up the bulk of it until they arrived and Rochelle patiently waited for the man to set up his program. "I still don't see the fun in you having control over everything," she verbally prodded him with a wry smile, "just because you couldn't keep up last time doesn't mean I should be punished."

Vlimar turned and looked at Rochelle, raising an eyebrow. "Couldn't keep up?" he said softly. "I plead the horse as my official excuse."

"Uh huh. Excuses excuses." The tease was soft, light as the holodeck transformed all around them, the program beginning. Rochelle tugged at the hem of her uniform, it would be the first time she'd ridden in it.

Vlimar looked around him. "Oh, right, they placed us in the fields." he said, as fields of ripe vines appeared around them, teeming with grapes ready to be picked. He turned his body completely towards Rochelle. "Welcome to my home." he stated, waving around him at the vines and the buildings on the horizon, wearing a prideful smile on his face. Every time he started this program, a program he'd spent countless hours perfecting for various activities, he felt at ease. Horseback riding, watching the sunsets and simply standing in the middle of the fields had all become his favored past times. The program was somewhat of a proud accomplishment for Vlimar who never really had the programming vibe in him. He often used basic programs offered by the databank and added his specifications, but this one... This one was unique, it had the weather, the crisp evening wind, the smell of the earth and the grapes all mixed in with the everlasting smell of flowers and grains. Vlimar was at home, wherever he was.

The softness of the early autumn breeze caught Rochelle off guard, wrapping her in a sensual blanket of scents and sounds of a place well worn and loved by centuries of careful attention. It made sense that such a place would be Vlimar's manor, every grape and leaf seemed to sing for the man as he basked in the sunshine and the rustling of his vines. "The story of illumination." She said, looking around them in quiet wonder, "I was right. That man, he was you."

Vlimar smiled at the comment, a rare compliment that came from her and only her. It was a heartwarming moment, one in which he looked around him at an exact replica of his domain, his home -- and felt the pride overwhelm his senses. He knew each vine, each corner. He knew their stories, their preferences. He smiled at Rochelle again, this time filled with affection. "This replication is the best I can offer you at this time." He answered and took a deep breath and before he could speak again, he was immediately interrupted by the loud neigh of a horse in the distance. The Frenchman grinned at the Captain, "That would be Porthos. I think you would like him..." He said, soft and proud.

"Replication or not, it's beautiful." The spirited little woman admonished him, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she brought her attention back to the beaming Commander. The sound of a horse calling out nearby brought her back from her daydreams centering around wandering the vineyard by foot, the promise of a ride enticing her more than the promise of whatever vistas her own vertically challenged stature could offer. "We can always find out." She grinned.

Vlimar nodded, "We could indeed." He answered, "Porthos needs a strong hand..." He said, almost concerned. "He's used to being handled by a man. He's not the fastest, but he's as strong as one could hope and his heart is greater than mine." He concluded sweetly, his smile beaming bright with happiness. He began walking between the rows of vines towards the buildings on the horizon, his hands passing along the tops of the plants, skimming along the leaves. It was obvious that he was home, where he loved to be.

Rochelle followed along beside him through the vineyard, watching the way he loved on his vines with tender hands and a heart that seemed to glow brighter with every passing second. "I need a strong horse," She replied, strolling along with carefully placed footsteps. "something that challenges me, makes me think. Riding just isn't worth it unless you're forced to find common ground with your partner. If one winds up dominant over the other, the fun is suddenly gone for both."

Vlimar continued walking,k his wide smile never fading. "I think Porthos might be the challenge you are looking for..." he said playfully. As they arrived at the stables he carefully opened the over-sized wooden door to let Rochelle pass.

"I wouldn't doubt it." the woman replied as she slipped past him and into the barn.

Inside, the stable was had been redone recently, signs of someone deeply considerate to his animals embellished the interior. The horses had large stalls and seemed well fed and content. Each stall door had an engraving stating the name of them. Porthos, Aramis, Athos, D'Artagnan, Tréville & Rochefort were seen, a combination of stallions and geldings. Near the end of the building two beautiful mares peeked out, one white, almost without imperfection - who's door showed the name of Milady, while the other, an agitated brown Canadian Thoroughbred named Constance, chose to remain antisocial. Of all the horses, Porthos was the biggest, Tréville the oldest and the aptly named D'Artagnan was the youngest stallion.

"See a theme here?" he asked, his smile renewed.

Rochelle looked back over her shoulder from the end of the barn where she stood and trying to coax the big bay Thoroughbred mare from her chosen corner. "Oui. Les Trois Mousquetaires, non?" She asked, knowing she was correct. The significance of the horses' names hadn't been lost on her. If anything they seemed fitting and appropriate having known the nature of their owner and his love of Dumas.

Vlimar couldn't help but smile. There was no doubt that the woman was growing on him. He felt the need to surpass himself, to grow, in her presence. As he approached the stalls he pointed to D'Artagnan. "If you wanted untamed and challenging, I suggest the young and vigorous D'Artagnan." He stated. As he leaned against a different stall, another horse, black and beautifully built, craned his head over his door and rubbed its nose against the back of Vlimar's head. Aramis was the name etched into his door plate, a contrasting name for such a calm natured stallion.

"I think I'll take your Porthos. Today isn't a good day to die." She winked, leaving Constance be in exchange for taking up residence near the bigger stallion's stall.

Vlimar smiled widely. "Brute power over youthful agility." he stated. "Somehow, I like this." he added, before slowly rubbing Aramis' neck. It was clear that Vlimar would take the black muscular yet elegant stallion out, having a strong attachment to him. He slowly passed the licou, as they are called in french, and firmly attached it.

Haltering Porthos was no small feat. The stallion towered over the petite Captain though seemed pleased to assist her with the task, shoving his massive head into the leather implement and nearly knocking the woman off her feet with the force. She tutted her tongue at the steed, tapping him on the muzzle with one finger as she unlatched the stall and lead him into the barn aisle. "Somehow I knew you would." She replied, tying the big horse to his stall door. "Where's his tack or are we doing this bareback?"

Vlimar smirked as he watched Rochelle for a moment, obviously thinking of the various interpretations of such a question. He then pointed to a wooden box next to Porthos' stall. "Everything is in there if you want to tack up. If you'd rather go without, Porthos has been trained to ride bareback and brideless. He's a trustworthy animal." He replied, clearly bridling Aramis and draping his reins over a latch in order to get him saddled.

Even in the safe environment of the holodeck, assuming the safeties of the program had been left on, Rochelle didn't quite trust a new horse enough to ride without at least the security of a bridle. Self preservation was a fickle thing even in the land of makebelieve. "Thank you." She said as she knelt beside the trunk and opened its lid, tugging out the stallion's bridle. Out of old habits she wrapped a hand around the bit, warming the metal as she waited for Vlimar to saddle his horse. "Why so many of them?" She asked in reference to the horses.

Vlimar shrugged as he kept adjusting the saddle on Aramis. He was obviously avoiding the question altogether, preferring to give attention to the horse. "In case I want to share, I would say." he finally answered as he tightened the saddle, then looked at Rochelle again. "You never know..." he added, offering another sympathetic smile.

"Fair enough."She replied, her brow furrowing as she watched the man. He seemed, distant lost in thought as he'd come up with his answer to her question and she couldn't help but wonder just what it was that roared through the man's mind. She let it go for now and turned to trade Porthos' halter for his bridle, sliding the warmed metal bit between his teeth and over his tongue as she fastened the leather pieces with care.

The Frenchman slowly walked to Rochelle, while Aramis remained fasten to the framing of the barn. He approached Rochelle and quietly whispered. "Porthos tends to fill his lungs when you put the saddle on, you may need to surprise him." he stated, smiling at the redhead.

Rochelle watched him as he neared her, "Good thing I don't intend to saddle him." She replied, tipping her chin up to watch the man closely, tucking a length of wind loosened hair back behind her ear.

--- To Be Continued in pt II/II ---

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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