Web of Fire

Posted on Sat Sep 10, 2016 @ 3:28am by Captain Madelina Weisz & Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Barnes

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Deck 22 - XO's Quarters
Timeline: MD 1 - 1930 hours

Maddy walked into her quarters after making the journey from deck ten down to deck twenty-two where senior officers quarters were. Once inside, she instructed the computer to raise the lights while she lifted one foot to remove a shoe, then did the same with the other. With that out of the way, she moved further into the living room so Barnes could join her inside.

Her quarters didn't appear to be standard Starfleet. She'd taken plenty of time over the years to customize them to her liking rather than the drab colors that seemed to become the norm over the years. The dark blue carpet that graced the rest of the Triumphant was gone, and in its place was hard wood flooring. In fact... the best way to describe the decor inside of her living room was tropical. Even her furniture was anything but standard issue. She'd spent a lot of time getting her space exactly the way she wanted it, and the holographic wall on the far end of the room, as well as one on the right, gave the indication they weren't on a starship, but somewhere in paradise.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked, making her way toward the kitchenette.

"Wow," Tom muttered, distracted by the room. He approached the windows while paying more attention to the floor as he walked. "I don't think I ever saw hardwood on a starship before," he said with a whistle. He then wondered how many favors she had to pull or grant in order to get this done.

"Something to drink would be great," he called back to Maddy, still focused on the decor around him.

"It's taken years to finally get everything the way I want it. As a matter of fact, I only just finished getting it all done a few weeks ago," she said when she noticed him looking around, then continued on her way to the kitchenette. "Alcoholic or non?"

"Alcoholic," he replied. "But only if you are." He didn't like drinking alone, and hopefully it wouldn't be anything too hard, especially since the morning always came too quickly. "It's pretty incredible," Tom remarked. "The quarters, I mean."

Maddy grinned. "I didn't think you'd be talking about anything else, and if you were, I doubt seriously you'd tell me." She walked back into the living room holding two shot glasses with a blue liquid inside of them. "Having my quarters like this definitely makes me feel like I'm not living on a starship. Believe it or not, I'm not the only one who has done this. The Captain's wife is the one who gave me the idea when she was redecorating their quarters." The redhead woman settled down on the couch after passing him one of the glasses, then gestured for him to join her.

Tom took note of the blue liquid, thinking it could be any of a small number of beverages. Considering the size of the glass, however, Tom thought this was something he'd only had a few times in his career. He was going to need a considerable amount of coffee in the morning.

The non-commissioned officer sat down next to Maddy on the couch. "I can only imagine what the Captain's quarters would be like," Tom replied, wondering if he should sample what was in the shot glass. Given the small amount, it would not last for long. Still, he took a small sip to appease his host.

"It's Romulan Ale, and I won't be offended if you don't wish to drink it," Maddy said, taking a sip of her own. "If you'd prefer something else, I don't mind getting it."

Tom had recognized the taste instantly. "You know, for being illegal, this stuff is pretty easy to obtain, especially where we're going." He took another sip, trying to take it slow so it wouldn't overpower him without his knowledge.

"I definitely didn't bring you here to talk about work," she said with a smile, taking another sip of her own drink. "Relax. I'm not going to bite you." Much.

"Fair enough," Tom said, foregoing a sip on this round. He could already feel it beginning to work. And, with a nervous chuckle, he added, "I'm not afraid of being bitten." Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added a, "Unless you're like a vampire or werewolf or something. But, I'm pretty sure those are fictional."

The nervous chuckle didn't go unnoticed. Maddy couldn't help but finish off her drink, setting the glass on the coffee table. One would be more than enough, and considering what she'd already had while she was at The Black Hole, the redhead woman was feeling no pain. "So, Tom, do I make you nervous?" she found herself asking as her blue eyed gaze turned to fix on him. "You can be honest. I won't be offended."

"I am nervous," he immediately replied. "But not because of you. I get that we're off duty. It's just... I've never spent time like this, you know, off-duty, with an officer. Sure, there are cadets and ensigns, but that's different. I've probably worn the uniform longer than you, but it still doesn't make much difference."

"You're right, it doesn't make much difference," Maddy said. "Whether a person goes through the Academy, or enlists, we all put our time in. How we do it doesn't matter, and at the end of the day, we all fight for the same side. I'm not the kind of person who looks down her nose at those who are NCO's, and I think those that do could use a few classes in manners." She leaned back and tucked her legs beneath her. "Aside from that... we're both off duty. I'm just Maddy, and you're just Tom. None of the rank stuff matters right now." And to prove just how much it didn't matter to her, she leaned forward to kiss him.

Tom mentally kicked himself for not seeing that coming. Was her action initiated by the alien beverage, or was she this forward? Come on, Thomas Barnes! his mind shouted at him. Stop trying to read into this!

He felt pressure on another shoulder as an opposing voice urged caution. After all, she was not just a Commander, but the ship's XO and his superior officer as well. If this ended terribly, then he'd be forced to look for a new assignment. And the Triumphant was... Well... So triumphant...

Somehow, in spite of the dueling voices, Tom found himself leaning forward to meet her lips and accept the kiss. After all, what harm could come of this? There was just something about her that drew him to her, and he still wasn't sure what that was. Maybe something had been planted the first time he talked to her on the bridge. Time would tell.

Maddy was rather surprised he didn't pull away from her considering her position on the ship. When it came to her duties, nothing came between seeing to them. When she was just Maddy, her time was her own, and there wasn't a soul alive that would dare tell her what she could or couldn't do with it. She also wasn't the type of person that cared what others did on their personal time, or who they chose to do those things with. As long as it didn't affect the jobs they'd been given, all would be right in her eyes.

She pulled back after a few more moments and grinned at him. "Do you feel a little more at ease now?" she asked, moving a bit closer to him. Now that she had him where she wanted him, there was little chance he'd be allowed to escape.

He simply smiled, this time he was sure it was the Romulan Ale at work. "A bit, yeah," he confirmed, still brandishing his smile. "So," he said, a bit of nervousness creeping back into his voice even though he fought to stifle it. "What, uh... What would you like to do?"

"How do you feel about playing naked Twister?" she asked. Of course, Maddy was joking, but it was hard to tell that to be the case.

Tom raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, trying to figure out if she was serious or joking. If she were joking, then this was a cruel test of some sort. If she were serious, then well, she was even more forward than he thought she was. "The only Twister I know of is a pretty nasty cocktail. I think the ale is doing a pretty good job there." As if it were a cue, he took another sip.

"I've heard of the cocktail before, and I was actually kidding about playing twister," Maddy said as she rose to her feet. She looked at him over her shoulder. "However... I was not kidding about the naked part." And to prove her point, she unbuckled the belt she wore and pulled it off, tossing it onto the couch next to him before she began to make her way to her bedroom.

Tom watched her as she walked, the way her body moved with each step was even more seductive than the one before it. He had flinched when the belt was tossed onto the couch, but it was more in that he thought he'd be hit by it rather than react in surprise that she'd removed an element of her evening wear. He'd come this far, and though he'd thought part of him suspected this was coming, he could feel his anxiety rise. Yet, with another sip of the ale, Tom found himself rising and following her to the bedroom. He made no effort to remove any more clothing, as it was certainly possible she was just making herself at home. Though, with the kiss on the couch, that was more than likely not what was going on here.

"Don't tell me you're going to be shy now," she said, her accent thickening a bit as the alcohol began to take affect. The beauty of it, though, she'd remember everything the next morning, and likely wouldn't suffer from a hangover. Just one of the perks of being able to hold her liquor from years of practice, though, she was far from an alcoholic. Her bedroom was dimly lit by the light coming from the bathroom, but she was visible standing next to the bed. "You already said you aren't afraid of being bitten, and I want to test that theory."

"Who said I'm going to be shy?" Tom asked. Forcing his mind to not mention anything about rank again, he stepped inside the bedroom, shot glass still in hand. He took another sip of it as he approached her. Any other time, he'd show a little more action, but his nerves were certainly still playing a part in this. Deciding to hell with it, Tom stood in front of her and made his move, tilting his head down just slightly and kissed her.

Maddy returned the kiss, bringing her hands up to begin undoing the buttons of his shirt. There was no second guessing the choice she'd made, and she wasn't about to let him second guess it, either. They were adults... consenting ones no less. Tomorrow, there would be no regrets where she was concerned, but she couldn't speak for Tom. She did hope he wouldn't have any, or decide to act weird around her, but if that was the case, she'd deal with it if it happened. For now, though, she only had one thing on her slightly buzzed mind.