Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Joseph Rainns (Incoming Chief of Security) in side-sim Mess Hall

Posted by Cadet Sharah Fayth (Doctor) in side-sim Mess Hall

(snip)

Fayth’s comment made Rainns blush so badly he had to look down at the table to avoid turning from tan to pink completely. ‘Thank you’ he responded with a smile. ‘Another fun fact about me, I can’t handle compliments well, never know how to react’

Lt. JG Joseph Rainns- COS

‘That’s something else we have in common because neither do I.’ She smiled tugging his hand a little, ‘But I am sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you, but it is the truth. You’ve given me a calm that I haven’t been able to manage on my own.’ As if acknowledging that, she closed her eyes taking a deep breath as the waves in the room seemed to rock her. ‘Even before I got sick, I would not have been able to handle this long of a focused conversation without appearing to others as being extremely distracted. Not that I wasn’t paying attention, but…’ she shrugged due to a lack of words to describe it.
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Rainns shook his head. ‘Sweetheart, is it ok if I call you that? I will never be embarrassed by your words of affirmation. Never.’ Seeing that Fayth had closed her eyes he just watched her for a few moments before she communicated again. ‘I understand.’ Rainns responded, ‘I’m glad I can help you focus your concentration and make the smaller things in life more pleasant.’

Lt. JG Joseph Rainns- COS

‘It’s very okay, I like it.’ She had thought about terms of endearment, Joseph used them often, and it wasn’t that she didn’t want to return the sentiment, but there was only one word she could think of and she wasn’t sure she should or how he would feel about it. She tugged his hand, ‘can we go walk? Before the room gets too loud?’
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Joseph nodded, ‘Of course,’ He stood up, he could feel an uncertainty within Fayth as he stepped away from the table. ‘Everything ok?’ he asked with a hint of concern. It had been several days since Joseph had taken a leisurely stroll, and he was happy to do so again.

Lt. JG Joseph Rainns- COS

‘Hmmm?’ Sharah obviously was thinking very hard. ‘No…yes…’ Instead of words she tried to convey the depth of experiences they had shared over the weeks as well as the connections. ‘We have a word on Betazed for what you mean to me, and hopefully I am to you. It has been taken and used by other species as something precious, but simpler than what it really is. It declares a....commitment, and a responsibility that I would not surprise you with. It is not something I never thought I would experience in my lifetime. And I’m rather unsure of myself.’
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Walking out of the mess hall, Rainns once again took Sharah’s hand. He let Her experiences wash over him, and he understood exactly how she felt. ‘Well if you are unsure, don’t use it, no need to push yourself into a situation you aren’t comfortable in.’ He looked down at her and smiled. ‘I of all people understand the sanctity of commitment, I rushed too quickly into my last one, and that is not a mistake I intend to repeat. It is also not one I wish for you to make, so if there is doubt, don’t back yourself into a corner.’

Lt. JG Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah took his hand and stepped in closer as they walked. ‘I do not feel doubt, nor trapped in a corner, not about how I feel. The word means, first, and beloved, and only. There is only one first, one person that your,’ she paused it’s a rather romantic concept, ‘only one person your soul connects with first and only. It names a commitment that the two individuals will always be connected, not just lovers, or friends, but so much more. I…I do not wish to make you feel trapped.’ She paused around the next corner to look him in the eye, ‘You are, for me, Imzadi.’
Cadet Fayth, Doctor