Aftermath

Posted on Fri Mar 31, 2017 @ 1:48pm by Danielle Mercursi-Mallory & Lieutenant Commander Arrda

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Mallory Quarters
Timeline: MD 3 || 1630 Hours [Backpost]

They walked back to their quarters in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Arrda did not intrude into Danielle's thoughts, merely walked along beside her until they reached their door. He keyed it and stepped aside, allowing her to enter first. Once he entered and the door closed, he moved to the replicator to get her one of her favorite beverage and dessert combinations. It was a small gesture but one meant to show his care for her state of mind. "I'm sorry, Love. I shouldn't have asked him certain questions." He would not own Mattis' part in this, but he would take responsibility for his part.

"It's fine," Danielle said as she headed for the couch. "It's not like Marines have any brains other than required to point and shoot a weapon. I'm just glad that's over with and I have no desire to deal with him again."

"Well, don't worry; I have no intention of putting you two in the same room again." Arrda retrieved the treat from the replicator and crossed the room to sit beside her on the couch, handing her the small offering. "In fact, let's not talk about him at all. How was your day aside from this dinner fiasco?" He put an arm around her and pulled her up against his side lovingly.

She took the offering with a smile and rested her head against him. "Pretty boring for the most part. I did go out and explore the Promenade and all I can say is that you are lucky that I didn't spend every credit we both had. I did get you something, though."

He chuckled. "Oh? And what would that be?" She did not need to buy him anything; she was the greatest gift the universe could have given him. However, he was not going to refuse a gift, especially from her. She knew him so well, knew exactly the types of things he liked. He placed a soft kiss into her hair. "Shopping is that good on this ship, hm?" he teased.

"It is," Danielle said as she set her drink and dessert down and came to her feet. "They have almost everything. I'll be back in a moment." She headed out of the living room into their bedroom and returned a minute later with a small bag which she handed to him. "I hope you like it."

Inside was a wax seal set, leather bound journal and a quill and ink set.

Arrda stared at the set for a moment, stunned by the gift. It was a beautiful set! In this age of PADDs and data crystals and the like, not many people still engaged in the lost art of calligraphy. But before he was an Enforcer, Arrda had been an Artist, practicing many art forms from painting and, yes calligraphy, to interior design, architecture and landscape design. Small to large, he loved all of these forms of Art.

But more than that, he loved her. He traced reverent fingers over the items once before setting the set down on the coffee table and scooping Danielle into his arms for a very tight hug and a deep kiss. "You know me so well, my Love. Thank you." he whispered into her ear. Each year, he did something unique for her. This year, he would use this set to do something lovely for her as well.

"You're welcome," she said after she returned the kiss. "When I saw it, I knew it was all you. I couldn't pass it up at all. I have noticed one thing, though. They have no crystal shops at all on the promenade."

Arrda frowned. "Really? Wait, do you mean like our Marai ones?" Some humans were into crystals, but they used different stones and for different things than Marai did.

Danielle shook her head after taking a sip of her drink. "No. There's no crystals of any kind there," she told him. "I doubt if many people have even heard of Marai crystals."

He chuckled softly. "I meant what sort of crystals were you looking for to notice this." he corrected the misunderstanding. "And they likely haven't. Hm..." His expression became thoughtful as an idea began to form in his mind.

"I see that look in your eyes, Arrda," she said. "What are you thinking?"

He blinked and attempted to look innocent. "Me? No!" he jested, then chuckled, realizing that he had failed that attempt badly. "I was thinking about what you said about most of them not ever having been exposed to our Marai crystals. I was wondering if it would be something saleable. Not the crystals, per se, but the experience." He paused again, another thought crystallizing. "Though the Journal and Record Crystals could certainly be sold. What do you think?"

Danielle thought about it for a moment while she worked on her dessert and took a sip of her drink. "Do you really think that would go over good?" she asked him.

He watched her for a moment. "Please clarify. Is there a reason you think it wouldn't?" he asked thoughtfully. If she was hesitant, he thought he should at least entertain the idea.

"Actually, I do think it would work," she said. "When do I not question things even if I agree with something? It's all about the details. You know that."

He nodded. "I do. So what details were you questioning then?" He liked that she questioned everything; it forced him, often times, to see things he had not registered before. It cleared his vision of an event at times, and he loved that about her -- among the thousand other things he loved about her, of course.

"First, will they be approved by the Federation?" Danielle asked. "Second, will the experiences recorded on them be yours or someone else's? Third, is being a telepath required or is there a interface which would be required? Fourth, would they be more popular than the holodecks and suites?"

Arrda listened to her list of questions. "Well, the first one I won't know until I ask, but that approval might come easier if I have evidence of their use by Federation citizens that shows no harm to those citizens. The experiences can be anyone's; it's not restricted to mine only, which leads into your next question. No, you don't have to be a telepath to use them or to record on them; the material is psionically conductive. The user just needs to think clearly, remember the event clearly, and the crystal captures the imagery and impressions."

He thought about her last question for a moment. "As to being more popular than holodecks or holosuites, I couldn't say. It is very popular on Marai. It might prove to be more popular simply for the total immersion aspect of it. If the person who recorded the event was a telepath or had heightened senses, etc., then the viewer will experience the event with those inputs. Also, Experience Crystals often contain a multi-viewpoint experience, meaning multiple people who were present at the same event recorded their experience of it, and those were integrated into one event with multiple viewpoints that can be simultaneously experienced, allowing several people to share the experience."

He watched her as he spoke, knowing he sounded vaguely like a sales poster. "Sorry, that came out kind of sales-y. Any other questions? If you're concerned about the captain approving them, I do have a write-up I can show to him." He paused, frowning. "On second thought, maybe I should show it to you first, let you question the shit out of it, then add anything that your questions bring up before I show it to him."

She laughed at his final comments after her questions had been answered. "I think if you put together a report like that, he wouldn't be able to do anything except approve it," she said before she paused. "Then again....maybe you should take one or two of the crystals to him and see what he thinks personally."

Arrda smiled, pleased to see his wife happy again. "I could take a couple of those we use back home for entertainment; I do have a few with me. Or I could offer to show him how the system works by letting him and anyone he chooses record experienced and then share them. Hm... maybe both? Show him already-recorded ones and make the other offer in case he wants a demonstration of how easy it is to record them?" He was thinking aloud, not really asking her opinion; but he would appreciate her input anyway.

"That is a great idea, love," Danielle said. "I think that would be the best possible option and he would be able to get the full experience in every way. You are a genius." She leaned over to give him a kiss. "So what's next, my hero?"

Arrda smiled and returned her kiss. "What would please you, my Sweet?" He could think of several things to do, but after that fiasco in the Lounge, he wanted to make the rest of the night hers to command. "You paid the band; you get to call the dance."

"I saw a club that's called Subspace Sound ," she said. "Or...we can stay in and dance in that special way, Arrrrda."

That exquisite shiver twisted its way up his spine as it did every time she said his name like that. The way she purred the r's made him want her right here, right now. "Keep that up, Love, and we may never leave these quarters again." he joked. They both knew that he would have to leave for his shift, but that was not really relevant just now.

"Would that be a bad thing?" Danielle teased him, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

He chuckled softly. "For my hormones, no. For my job, unfortunately so." He pulled her onto his lap and slid his arms around her. "However, I think a few hours of 'special dancing' can definitely be on the agenda." He let his tone take on that trailing-off, suggestive quality. Then he tilted his head back, drawing hers down to kiss her once more, this time a prelude to the aforementioned "dance."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with the same passion that she always had and sighed in contentment when they finally had to come up for air. "Shall we dance, my love?" she asked as she glanced toward their bedroom.

Arrda did not answer with words. In cases such as this, words were not only small; they often proved impossible through the storm of feelings driving his body to distraction. Instead, he merely stood, carrying her with him, and moved off toward the designated part of the quarters. The dance had already begun.

---

Arrda lay contentedly beneath his wife, one hand on the small of her back where it had been pulling her against him -- now it was just holding her close. The other hand came up to touch her cheek and draw her face down to his for a soft kiss. "You are, as always, a magnificent dancer, my Love." he whispered.

"I had a fantastic teacher and loads of inspiration," Danielle told him with a smile. She leaned over to kiss him. "I can't help but love you more every day, Arrrda," she purred.

He returned her kiss and shivered again at the purring quality of her voice as she said his name. "I did not think it was possible to love you more, Danielle." he said softly. "And yet, you keep showing me that it is." He smiled against her lips and then kissed her again. "Whatever I did to so please the Mother Creator as to bless me with you, I don't know. But I don't care either as long as She lets me keep loving you through all time."

"At least you aren't arguing against it," she said as she curled up against him. "I keep wondering what I did to get you, then I simply thank whoever is looking over me for letting me be part of your life."

He closed his arm about her as she curled next to him, drawing her close to his side. "I'd have to be some kind of moron to fight against it. And you're right; just thank the higher powers and get on with the living, hm." he said with a grin.

"Are you hungry, love?" Danielle asked him before she leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek. "I think I got my appetite back."

"Starving." Arrda answered just as his stomach also responded to her. He chuckled. "I guess we should do something about this." He gave her a soft kiss, stroked gentle fingers over her cheek, then sat up. "However, if we're not eating in here, I do think we should shower first." And that could be fun in itself.

"The Black Hole delivers, dearheart," she said as she sat up and reached for a PADD by the side of the bed. "We can eat here with no clothes on, but you may want to put something on for when it gets delivered. We don't want anyone to have a heart attack."

He chuckled again. "But that would keep the medical people guessing, wouldn't it?" he joked as he rose and gathered his robe from the closet.

Danielle got up and headed into the fresher without getting a robe on. "The reason they had a heart attack?" she asked with a laugh. "I would think that would be easy enough to figure out."

He chuckled, following behind her and waiting for her to finish. If he followed her in, they'd not eat for hours yet. "Maybe, but I did get to see that lovely smile of yours again. So it was well worth it." His voice took on a note of teasing complaint. "But why do I have to answer the door?" The tone shifted to one of mischief. "It might be fun to watch them swoon over you, after all."

"Right before you ripped their eyes out of their skulls for ogling me?" she asked with a laugh. "I can see that going over real well with the Captain, love."

Arrda laughed, imagining that conversation between himself and the captain. "Yes, I think Starfleet sort of frowns on its members removing each other's body parts." he said after a moment to just let the scene play in his head. "And it really wouldn't be worth the brig time just to see their faces. Good point, Love." A quick stop in the fresher after his wife, and he slid the robe on. "So what are we going to order?"

"I was thinking food," Danielle quipped after he laughed, and had a feeling he was picturing the images that her words evoked. "But if you want to be specific, how about a nice steak and potatoes meal?"

Arrda shook his head, chuckling now at her little joke. "Steak and potatoes sounds excellent, actually. Need to replenish those fuel stores. Do you want a drink while we wait?"

"I'd love a Risan sunset," she said as she finished freshening up and looked at him. "The planet, not the drink, but I'll take one of those, too. Have you ever thought about just going to some backwater planet and being a painter or something?"

Arrda chuckled and had started toward the outer room in the quarters to get her drink. Her question made him pause and turn to look at her. Had he told her he had once been an Artist? Covering the momentary startlement, he decided to be playful. "Technically, I did, Love. The first time I went to Earth, it was a backwater."

He paused, and his voice took on a more conciliatory tone. "Of course, in fairness, that was in 2009." Another pause, and he frowned in thought. "And back then, I didn't remember that I had once been an Artist. But since then? Yes, from time to time, I do consider how much simpler the life of an Artist is and wonder if I should go back to it." Even he heard the slightly wistful quality in his voice on that last bit, and he shook himself, continuing out to get her drink. "Why do you ask, Love? Thinking of convincing me to retire to Risa or something?" he teased.

"It was a thought," Danielle said. "But I'd never take you away from something that you love. Besides, we'd get bored on a little backwater and eventually take to space again." She followed him out of the room and into the living room. "You do know that you could paint anytime and anywhere you wanted to."

He nodded, ordering her drink from the replicator. Handing it to her, he shrugged. "I didn't start out an Enforcer, Love." he reminded her, gathering a cup of his Marai coffee from the pot he kept heated on a table along one wall of the room. "I became an Enforcer during the Draft. I wanted to be an Artist; I just can't stop being an Enforcer, even if it is a Starfleet version of the thing."

Taking a sip of the coffee, he sat on the couch and watched her for a moment. "And yes, I know I can paint anywhere. In fact," he smiled a bit as he admitted, "I have a set of my paints and a few canvases tucked away in storage on board. Perhaps I could paint you some night, hm?" He paused a moment, letting his eyes drink in the image of her just as she was now, natural. "Perhaps tonight..." he murmured.

"I know you didn't start out as an Enforcer," she said as she sat down next to him and leaned into him. She took a sip of her drink and looked up at him. "But you are an Enforcer now. As for painting, I'd be more than happy to pose for you however you wanted me." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

He gave her a squeeze and a wink. "I want you any way I can get you, my Love." he murmured right next to her ear before placing a soft kiss to her lips. Then he sat back and looked thoughtful. "As to the rest... that is true. What I meant by that first bit was that I chose Art. I kind of miss doing it. I guess I've kind of gotten stuck in Enforcer Mentality and let my Art take a back seat." He frowned. "That was never my intention. Hm... maybe I should take some of my off-duty time and reconnect with my Art." The frown was replaced by a smile and another soft kiss. "Thank you, Love."

Taking a sip of his coffee, he reclined on the couch a bit. "Now, did you order the food yet? Or did I distract you?" His tone on that last question changed to reflect the seductive verbal play she had engaged in only moments before.

Danielle returned the kisses and smiled. "You aren't on duty all the time, so you have time to take it up again," she reminded him. "As for food, i completely forgot. Let me get the PADD for The Black Hole and get our orders placed."

She stood up and headed for the stand where a small stack of PADD's were for the Promenade and sorted through them until she found the one she wanted. After she placed the order, she came back to settle against him once more. "I never thought I'd be back in space again. This ship is amazingly huge."

He nodded. "I know. I still carry the ship's map on my PADD just in case." he admitted a bit sheepishly. Normally he memorized a ship's layout before arriving so that he would never get lost, but this ship was so large that he felt the need for the safety net. "So did you find anything you liked on the Promenade?" He was, of course, referring to something for herself. His eyes tracked to the calligraphy set still sitting neatly on the coffee table, and he smiled.

"I saw a lovely Tholian silk robe, but they're so expensive," Danielle said. "I settled on a holo wardrobe program that lets me feel as if I'm wearing stuff like that instead."

Arrda gave his wife a squeeze. "Do you really like it that much?" he asked, getting a gauge of her desire for it so that he would then know if he should buy it for her.

"I'd love to have it, but you could buy a shuttle for the cost of one," she said. "I couldn't have you spending all your credits on one thing."

He chuckled softly and gave her a squeeze. "First, that wouldn't break my accounts. And second, there is always the art of the haggle, as it's said on Earth. Perhaps I can talk the merchant down in price a bit."

"It's Tholian silk, Arrda," Danielle protested. "I heard that Captain Sisko once had to call in a favor with the Tholian ambassador just to get enough to make a robe for his wife. That stuff is rare and hard to get."

He nodded. "All of that is true. But if this fellow hopes to sell it here, he is going to have to be a lot more price-adaptive." he reminded her. "We're a Starfleet ship, not one of the core worlds with a lot of highly-placed, high-paid officials." He frowned. "But you do have a point. Tell you what, no promises then; Let me see what I can do. How's that?"

"You can try, but he's geared towards people who can drop latinum and credits at the drop of a hat," she said as the door chime rang. "And I better make myself invisible so you don't tear the delivery person's eyes out for ogling me." She gave him a kiss and headed into their room.

He returned her kiss, stood, ensured his robe was closed well and went to the door. Stopping in front of it, he reached over and keyed the open sequence. "Evening." he greeted the delivery person.

"Order for Mallory, two steak and potato meals?" the young Bolian male asked who stood there with the take out containers.

"That's us." Looking over his shoulder, he called, "Danielle, did you pay for the food directly?" He was already digging in his robe pockets for credit chits to give the Bolian a tip.

"Yes, dear!" Danielle called from the bedroom. "Just give him a tip and we're good!"

Douglas nodded to himself and handed the Bolian a decent tip, taking the containers from him with the other hand. "Thank you. Have a great night." he offered with a smile before closing the doors once more and retreating to the couch. "All clear!" he called to his wife after the door closed.

She came out of the bedroom wearing a robe now and moved over beside of him. "This smells delicious," she said as she gave him a kiss. "You may have competition."

He chuckled, returning the kiss. "If you mean my cooking, I'm already beat out by Aidan and Ariana." he reminded her, then realized that she hadn't met Ariana yet. "Ariana owns a restaurant on Earth. I'll have to take you there sometime when we have some leave."

He divided up the containers and frowned. Eating out of take-out containers seemed so... pedestrian. Rising, he retrieved two plates and some flatware and returned. "I feel like one of those people out of one of those old sitcoms eating out of take-out containers." he joked as he put the food onto the plates and handed her one along with a knife and fork.

Danielle took the offered plate and silverware and transferred the meal to the plate. "I wouldn't have minded what I ate off of as long as you were here with me," she said before she started to cut her steak up.

He smiled, agreeing with the sentiment. "Okay, so I'm a bit spoiled." he joked, cutting his own steak. "At least you don't have to wash all of these dishes."

"I wouldn't say spoiled," she countered as she took a sip of her drink. "If you were spoiled, I wouldn't give you such a hard time."

He chuckled, and they ate their meal in alternation between companionable silence and quiet conversation.