Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Joseph Rainns (Chief of Security) in side-sim A Day Off

Posted by Ensign Sharah Fayth (Doctor) in side-sim A Day Off

(snip)

‘I hope you do.’ Joseph said with a smile. ‘I intend to fulfill it.’ He nodded his head, ‘Of course I will, you won’t be able to beat me with all the distance.’ At first he was confused by Fayths plea, but then he felt it. Her mental presence was withdrawing from his. Pings of sadness radiated throughout Rainns heart, he knew that it had to be done though. ‘I will never hate you Sharah, never.’ As much as he wanted to, he did not stop her withdrawal.

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

‘I’m sorry, I have to. I’ll collapse if I try to do it all at once as I leave, and I don’t know what that would do to you,’ she stopped before the noise became distracting. Suddenly she kissed him, letting it linger. ‘Take advantage of very moment we have.’ She started to suggest they go to his quarters, they would have their day of reading and games, but she didn’t know if the memory of being in his quarters would be worse for him, so she stayed sitting on the floor next to him and let him decide.
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Joseph welcomed the kiss with happiness and slowly breathed out after it was over. ‘I will trust me.’ he replied. ’ I would rather stay here if that’s ok with you.’ He said. I would hate to have my empty quarters taunt me after you leave.’

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah nodded, she understood. She reached around behind her and pulled out a chess set, made of cherry and ebony wood. She had meant it to be a gift, but now it would serve as a connection. She slid it in front of them and squeezed his hand, and took a deep breath. ‘Teach me.’
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Rainns eyes lit up upon seeing the board. ‘Of course.’ He began to take the pieces out and set them up on the board in their appropriate positions. making sure he was deliberate enough to allow Fayth to follow what he was doing. As he assembled the pieces together he figured he might as well get down to the real talk. ‘How often do you want to chat once we split apart?’ he asked solemnly.

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah watched very carefully, picking details of each piece from Joseph’s thoughts, trying to commit them to memory. She said the first answer that came to mind, ‘Every hour.’ She took a deep breath, that wasn’t going to help them. ‘Every day, though that might not happen for many reasons, but we can send recorded messages every day. I don’t think I can handle going longer than a week.’
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Joseph smiled. ‘Sweetheart we don’t even talk every hour here.’ He finished setting up the board. ‘Once a day will be perfect, and I can certainly accommodate your recorded messages request.’ He stopped and stared at the board. ‘You know, once my tour on Challenger is done, we could commit to formal union,’ he was very careful to avoid the m word. ‘That way we won’t be put on separate ships again after this little escapade. Granted the distance relationship works out, which I’m sure it will.’

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah chuckled a little, ‘no we don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.’ Sharah listened and then sat a little stunned. She had to stop herself from simply saying yes and kissing him. She had to think, were they simply over-reacting to a difficult situation or not. She took a few deep breaths and took his hand. She choose to speak out loud as well as in his mind. “Joseph, you are my Imzadi, my best friend, my first and my only love, my soul-mate. Nothing would make me happier or more proud than to formally commit my life to yours. You simply have to tell me when.” ‘Yes, Joseph, if you are asking.’
Cadet Fayth, Doctor

Joseph froze, he had not actually been prepared to propose on the spot, and had merely thrown out the suggestion to see how Fayth would react, her enthusiasm caught him completely off guard. He paused for a moment. Inside him a massive battle between his hear and his mind was playing out. His emotional side pulled him to say to hell with caution and tradition, and just do the deed. Opposed was his mind, which was telling him to give the relationship more time and to wait for a better moment than this. Joseph took in a deep breath, and made his choice. ‘Sharah, one day I will ask for your hand in marriage, and will be a beautiful moment in both of our lives. But that day is not today, I’m a man of tradition, and this is not the time or place for a proposal.’ He replied softly. ‘I love you imzadi, but now is just not the right moment.’

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah shook her head with a soft smile, keeping eye contact with him. ‘Joseph, Imzadi, I didn’t mean it was. You’re right, this isn’t the time, and even if it was, it wouldn’t change that I’m leaving.’ She squeezed his hand, ‘But I can’t leave, with you having put the idea out there and leave you to wonder how I feel about it. I have always been honest, maybe more blunt than I should, with you. Now, you know my answer. Think of it as a chance to read my mind when we aren’t close enough for you to do so.’ She returned her gaze to the chess board. ‘Now get to teaching so I can kick your butt.’ She glanced at him to make sure he was going to be okay.
Ensign Fayth, Doctor

‘I appreciate your bluntness, and I want our relationship to continue in that honest and open fashion.’ Rainns said, holding eye contact with Fayth. ‘Now, at least I won’t have to worry about when the time is right.’ He smiled and kissed Sharah on the lips. ‘Now as for this game, its quite complicated, so pay attention.’ He then began to explain each of the pieces and their abilities. The bishop could move in diagonals, the rook moved vertically and horizontally, and knight moved in an L shape, the queen could move in every fashion except the knights, and pawns advanced horizontally one space and attacked diagonally. After he finished he looked up at Sharah. ‘Get all that?’

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah nodded, she repeated the moves back to him, ‘But you forgot the king. How does he move?’ Sharah continued to listen as he explained it, often asking questions about, what if this happens, or that. Then she asked the most important question, ‘What do I have to do to win?’
Ensign Fayth, Doctor
OOC: I keep typing Cadet…I’m not going to get used to that

‘The king moves in any direction but he can only move one space at a time. The way you defeat your opponent is by checkmating them. Essentially putting your opponents king in a position that no matter what he does, whether it is stay still or move, the king cannot avoid being taken by an opposing piece the next turn.’ Rainns felt his heart warming up again. The act of sharing something he loved with Sharah made him feel happy on the inside.

Lt. Jg. Joseph Rainns- COS

Sharah raised an eyebrow, ‘So....you’re the king and I get to trap you?’ She looked absolutely mischievous. ‘Let’s play.’ She turned the board and reset the pieces. The first game she lost, horribly. She was still learning the pieces and how they worked together, she also got the impression Joseph was going easy on her. The second game, just because she could and to see what he would do, she cheated a little. Joseph caught her at it before she had finished moving her piece. The last game she worked very hard to ignore what he was thinking about the game and simply focus on what she was doing. They talked, about a lot of things, both avoiding any type of small talk at all costs. Sharah lost all 3 games. She had enjoyed learning to play and Joseph was a good teacher.
They both read some, Sharah working on finishing her project, occasionally asking Joseph for clarification or to read over something she wrote. They ate dinner, and then she asked Joseph to show her how to use the computer chess game. She decided she would practice to see if she got any better. It would be awhile before she’d be able to beat him at chess. At the end of the night they were both sitting on her couch again, talking late into the night. He didn’t say he had to leave and she didn’t ask him to stay. They fell asleep on the couch again, but the next morning they were both back on duty, and the two weeks flew by.

Ensign Fayth, Doctor