Post by aoibheni on Jun 23, 2020 15:24:23 GMT
3 years ago
---
With Einar as Inmate Adalberto.
Part 2.
An hour’s exertion saw them reaching the peak of the ridge. Taemin had kept relatively silent the entire climb. She walked ahead of her companion and allowed him time to take in the stunning views that surrounded them.
As her Starfleet issue boots crunched on the summit’s uneven surface she turned and waited. “You can’t get much further from the complex than this without triggering the perimeter,” she told him, catching her breath and dabbing her forehead.
The seagulls wheeled overhead. A mild breeze tossed her hair and threw blonde tresses across her face.
Tony leant forward, hands on knees as he tried to catch his breath. He hadn't seen much in the way of exercise for a long while, and he had to admit that the hike hit him harder than he cared to admit. Once he caught this breath, he wiped his forehead and dried his hands on the sides of his jumpsuit. “It's a nice view, I´ll give you that”
Taemin took the compliment like it was meant for her.
She hunkered down, examined the ground and selected a weather-worn stone. Then she straightened, sidled up to Tony, took his hand and curled his fingers around it. She lingered.
“Throw it.”
For a moment he felt like a young boy on a date as Tae held his hand. “What do you mean ‘Throw it’?”
“I dunno how else you expect to hit a seagull.”
“Hit a seagull?!?” he said with a mixture of confusion and shock until he caught her grin and realized he was being had.
“It's a rock… it´s not that complicated, Tony. Throw. It.”
Tony stared down at the smooth pebble and then at the horizon. Was it that easy? What was the point anyway. Throw it? Expressing the anger and hurt that was boiling in his stomach? Throw it to relieve some of the weight on his shoulders?
He looked back at Taemin. About to ask what the hell she was up to.
“Unless you'd prefer to do something else?” She looked up at him, then indicated a smooth grassy slope behind her. She casually shrugged her jacket off, bared her arms and shoulders to the sun and smiled broadly. “I could stand to have a few grass stains on this uniform.”
Why not? He was allowed some pleasure in purgatory. He dropped the rock.
--------
Tony lay in the cool grass and stared up in the blue sky above. Perhaps it was that easy. In order to survive this. Throw the rock. Metaphorically speaking of course.
"I get it". He raised himself up on his elbows and looked over at a half clothed Taemin Suder as she pulled her teal undershirt on over her head. “I need to let go”
Her eyes met his, a satisfied glow still evident across her cheeks. "If it feels good, do it." With her hair tousled and her dark eyes shining she looked remarkably serene.
"Is that how you did it? Survive in here I mean?"
"I... threw a lot of rocks."
Tony laughed softly.
She leaned back and settled on the grass beside him with a contented sigh.
She focused on reading his emotions instead. "You don't 'survive' this place, Tony. You evolve til you're so different it no longer recognises you. That's how you get out. If that means letting go of your grief and guilt... then let go."
He looked over at his... ‘friend’? Was that even the right word? "I used to be able to. Be more like you. Carefree even. That was before I fell in with the wrong crowd. The command staff. Kesh Suder-"
"ugh"
"... and Sara Sumner. You would have liked me back then. We would have been friends even"
She stretched her tired limbs, sighed contentedly and settled again. She fell silent for a while as she luxuriated in the moment. Beside her Tony remained lost in his thoughts.
Above their heads seagulls screamed and warbled and rode the thermals. The sky had begun to flush a light peach on the horizon, a sign that the day was growing old.
"I like you just fine now. This Tony is fun."
She rolled and leant over him, balancing on one elbow, tracing the contours of his mouth with the fingers of her other hand. "I sensed something in your mind crack right before you dropped that rock. Don't try to fix it, ok?" She gazed at him intently. "Leave it be." It felt like an order.
“Stop caring about them? The people I came here for?” he asked, genuinely unsure of where to go now.
"I never said that. Just care about yourself... more."
“I...I´m not sure I remember how to do that to be honest”
Taemin laughed before realisation dawned.
Tony looked crestfallen.
"Oh. You're being serious… wow." She bit her lip and rested her hand on his chest. “Care,” she said, leaning in a little, “about yourself,” she kissed him gently, “more. I came up here to throw rocks and yell at birds. Then you made a decision and now I have grass in my hair.” She kissed him again before settling her chin comfortably atop the hand on his chest. “Do that more.”
He looked at her, really looked. “How did you become….this, Tae? You were so angry. It feels like we traded places…”. He said gently as he examined her face. The face of the woman he had championed for so long. At least he had done something right. "Now you wear the uniform, and I am locked away in paradise. I won't ever be able to serve again"
“I was angry because I was frightened,” she told him bluntly. “Now, I’m not… but you are.”
She tilted her head and considered. “Kesh and I were really very similar. We both felt… feel everything deeply. Emotions are big. Pain, fear, joy... pleasure, all are exquisitely intense-”
“I noticed,” Tony observed.
Taemin huffed softly, entirely unabashed by her wanton performance earlier. “The only real difference is that she saw her emotions as a weakness, so she held everything in until she couldn’t cope. Then, she’d lose control. I embrace the chaos. Ironically, that gives me more control than she ever had. You’re starting to act more like her and I don’t like it. You’re forgetting yourself Tony. You used to be rash, overly opinionated and passionate to the point of insubordination. When we first met, you fought for me without a second thought.” Softly, she asked, “Would you do that now?”
"No. I don't think I would" he said embarrassed at how easy that answer came to him.
“Hm.” Satisfied, she closed her eyes and let him sit with that thought. “What a pity.”
They lay there for a few minutes, her observation hanging over him. The wind had picked up and he could taste the oncoming rain. "Throw some rocks, eh?" He asked, more rhetorically. "Not like I have much of a choice"
“There’s always a choice,” she told him as she lifted herself off his chest, sitting back on her booted feet. Standing, she dusted grass off her uniform and attempted to fix her tousled hair. There she stood, the disheveled embodiment of her own wisdom. “There’s always a way to get what you want.” She looked down at him and quirked a knowing smile. “You just gotta know what that is and focus til you get it. So, the question is, Tony. What do you want right now…?”
He looked up at her, smiling. "Actually… I'd kinda want to make lasagna"
---
With Einar as Inmate Adalberto.
Part 2.
An hour’s exertion saw them reaching the peak of the ridge. Taemin had kept relatively silent the entire climb. She walked ahead of her companion and allowed him time to take in the stunning views that surrounded them.
As her Starfleet issue boots crunched on the summit’s uneven surface she turned and waited. “You can’t get much further from the complex than this without triggering the perimeter,” she told him, catching her breath and dabbing her forehead.
The seagulls wheeled overhead. A mild breeze tossed her hair and threw blonde tresses across her face.
Tony leant forward, hands on knees as he tried to catch his breath. He hadn't seen much in the way of exercise for a long while, and he had to admit that the hike hit him harder than he cared to admit. Once he caught this breath, he wiped his forehead and dried his hands on the sides of his jumpsuit. “It's a nice view, I´ll give you that”
Taemin took the compliment like it was meant for her.
She hunkered down, examined the ground and selected a weather-worn stone. Then she straightened, sidled up to Tony, took his hand and curled his fingers around it. She lingered.
“Throw it.”
For a moment he felt like a young boy on a date as Tae held his hand. “What do you mean ‘Throw it’?”
“I dunno how else you expect to hit a seagull.”
“Hit a seagull?!?” he said with a mixture of confusion and shock until he caught her grin and realized he was being had.
“It's a rock… it´s not that complicated, Tony. Throw. It.”
Tony stared down at the smooth pebble and then at the horizon. Was it that easy? What was the point anyway. Throw it? Expressing the anger and hurt that was boiling in his stomach? Throw it to relieve some of the weight on his shoulders?
He looked back at Taemin. About to ask what the hell she was up to.
“Unless you'd prefer to do something else?” She looked up at him, then indicated a smooth grassy slope behind her. She casually shrugged her jacket off, bared her arms and shoulders to the sun and smiled broadly. “I could stand to have a few grass stains on this uniform.”
Why not? He was allowed some pleasure in purgatory. He dropped the rock.
--------
Tony lay in the cool grass and stared up in the blue sky above. Perhaps it was that easy. In order to survive this. Throw the rock. Metaphorically speaking of course.
"I get it". He raised himself up on his elbows and looked over at a half clothed Taemin Suder as she pulled her teal undershirt on over her head. “I need to let go”
Her eyes met his, a satisfied glow still evident across her cheeks. "If it feels good, do it." With her hair tousled and her dark eyes shining she looked remarkably serene.
"Is that how you did it? Survive in here I mean?"
"I... threw a lot of rocks."
Tony laughed softly.
She leaned back and settled on the grass beside him with a contented sigh.
She focused on reading his emotions instead. "You don't 'survive' this place, Tony. You evolve til you're so different it no longer recognises you. That's how you get out. If that means letting go of your grief and guilt... then let go."
He looked over at his... ‘friend’? Was that even the right word? "I used to be able to. Be more like you. Carefree even. That was before I fell in with the wrong crowd. The command staff. Kesh Suder-"
"ugh"
"... and Sara Sumner. You would have liked me back then. We would have been friends even"
She stretched her tired limbs, sighed contentedly and settled again. She fell silent for a while as she luxuriated in the moment. Beside her Tony remained lost in his thoughts.
Above their heads seagulls screamed and warbled and rode the thermals. The sky had begun to flush a light peach on the horizon, a sign that the day was growing old.
"I like you just fine now. This Tony is fun."
She rolled and leant over him, balancing on one elbow, tracing the contours of his mouth with the fingers of her other hand. "I sensed something in your mind crack right before you dropped that rock. Don't try to fix it, ok?" She gazed at him intently. "Leave it be." It felt like an order.
“Stop caring about them? The people I came here for?” he asked, genuinely unsure of where to go now.
"I never said that. Just care about yourself... more."
“I...I´m not sure I remember how to do that to be honest”
Taemin laughed before realisation dawned.
Tony looked crestfallen.
"Oh. You're being serious… wow." She bit her lip and rested her hand on his chest. “Care,” she said, leaning in a little, “about yourself,” she kissed him gently, “more. I came up here to throw rocks and yell at birds. Then you made a decision and now I have grass in my hair.” She kissed him again before settling her chin comfortably atop the hand on his chest. “Do that more.”
He looked at her, really looked. “How did you become….this, Tae? You were so angry. It feels like we traded places…”. He said gently as he examined her face. The face of the woman he had championed for so long. At least he had done something right. "Now you wear the uniform, and I am locked away in paradise. I won't ever be able to serve again"
“I was angry because I was frightened,” she told him bluntly. “Now, I’m not… but you are.”
She tilted her head and considered. “Kesh and I were really very similar. We both felt… feel everything deeply. Emotions are big. Pain, fear, joy... pleasure, all are exquisitely intense-”
“I noticed,” Tony observed.
Taemin huffed softly, entirely unabashed by her wanton performance earlier. “The only real difference is that she saw her emotions as a weakness, so she held everything in until she couldn’t cope. Then, she’d lose control. I embrace the chaos. Ironically, that gives me more control than she ever had. You’re starting to act more like her and I don’t like it. You’re forgetting yourself Tony. You used to be rash, overly opinionated and passionate to the point of insubordination. When we first met, you fought for me without a second thought.” Softly, she asked, “Would you do that now?”
"No. I don't think I would" he said embarrassed at how easy that answer came to him.
“Hm.” Satisfied, she closed her eyes and let him sit with that thought. “What a pity.”
They lay there for a few minutes, her observation hanging over him. The wind had picked up and he could taste the oncoming rain. "Throw some rocks, eh?" He asked, more rhetorically. "Not like I have much of a choice"
“There’s always a choice,” she told him as she lifted herself off his chest, sitting back on her booted feet. Standing, she dusted grass off her uniform and attempted to fix her tousled hair. There she stood, the disheveled embodiment of her own wisdom. “There’s always a way to get what you want.” She looked down at him and quirked a knowing smile. “You just gotta know what that is and focus til you get it. So, the question is, Tony. What do you want right now…?”
He looked up at her, smiling. "Actually… I'd kinda want to make lasagna"