Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in Side sim: After-Shift Meetup

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in Side sim: After-Shift Meetup

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in Side sim: After-Shift Meetup
Posted by… suppressed (19) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Aasrel was quickly asleep, his arms resting gently around her. He slept peacefully and quietly throughout the rest of the night. When morning came, he was still fast asleep.

~ Aasrel

Bethany slept. Which was good, but it was still off and on. She woke enough to register her surroundings and who was there with her and then she was asleep again. 20 minutes before she had to get up she woke, struggling to catch her breath because her heart was racing. Once she was awake she was able to control it, but there was no need to try and sleep after that. She laid still so as not to disturb him, but when the coffee started brewing, she knew it was time to get up and she slowly slid off the couch.

Bethany

Aasrel woke the moment she started to move. His arms tightened around her slightly and his groggy voice drifted out in the dark room. “Is it already time to get up?”

~ Aasrel

Bethany relaxed back against him without protest. “Mmmhmmm,” she yawned. “At least for me. I don’t know about you. But if I don’t get moving my dept will know how little sleep I’m getting. And you can guarantee that someone saw us come to my quarters last night and someone will see us leave. With nothing else to do they will gossip. So, might as well give them something to talk about. I can be bright and chipper or noticeable late.” She laughed softly with her arms tightly around him.

Bethany

“If they’re going to gossip either way…” Aasrel gave her a tired but mischievous look. But then he squeezed her one last time and shook his head. “I shouldn’t talk you into being late. I shouldn’t be late…” He’d rather stay here. He was tired. And he had a hard time caring whether he was late or not.

~ Aasrel

“No we shouldn’t be, but you could always say you were making a house call.” She didn’t offer to move again, yet. “If you want to sleep a little more, go ahead, I can set an alarm for you. I don’t mind if you stay longer. I’ll be quiet.” She sat up after hugging him tightly and stood. She returned the mischievous look, “I’ll be in the shower if you need anything.”

Bethany

Aasrel hugged her as she got up. “I could lay down a little longer.” He said, getting ready to settle in. The next thing she said was about the only thing that would motivate him to move. Sitting up, he stretched and gave her another look. “Anything?”

~ Aasrel

She looked over her shoulder at him, “Anything.” She turned and walked backwards a couple of steps. “My uncles raised me to be a very accommodating hostess.” She grinned, turned and paused by the door. She looked back at him and winked before disappearing.

Bethany

Aasrel stood and followed her into the bathroom. He grinned at her, hoping he was reading her hints right. He was nervous, he wasn’t sure why.

~ Aasrel

Bethany put her arms around him, “Good morning.” And then she kissed him.

Much to the disappointment of those who enjoyed Bethany’s fresh coffee, the LCARS display outside her door stated it was broken and there was no coffee that morning.

Bethany

The shower was longer than it maybe should have been. Like at the lake, Aasrel had trouble with the idea of showing off his implants. But he’d managed to enjoy himself. Afterwards, he was still in the bathroom, a towel around his waist with a second over his shoulders. “That was one way to start a morning.” He said and grinned at her.

~ Aasrel

Bethany had a towel wrapped around her and another she had used to towel dry her hair. She grinned as she let her gaze travel a moment. “I could get addicted. Works much better than caffeine. Good thing I made more decaf.” She winked at him again and then kissed him quickly. She picked up a brush and began to run it through her hair.

Bethany

“Can I borrow that when you’re done with it?” Aasrel asked, pointing to the brush. “I… didn’t exactly bring bathroom essentials.” He pulled on the towel over his shoulders. Then he gathered his clothes and set them over the top of the closed toilet. He grinned at her, “Doctor approved caffeine substitute.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany chuckled, “Then I’ll be sure to use it as often as approved.” She cleared the brush and handed it to him. “Use whatever you like.” She braided her hair so it was out of the way. When he set the brush down, she stepped into him wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She looked into his eyes. She kissed him deeply and then looked at him again, “Thank you for trusting me.”

Bethany

There were recent scars on his chest and abdomen, the leftover from the surgeries he’d already had to remove implants. The implant on his arm ran from shoulder to hand. The implant on his leg began at his hip and ended just below his ankle.

Bethany wasn’t without her own scars. Most of hers were mental and emotional from her work. She had a very nasty jagged one across her right hip that followed along the edge of her pelvic bone.

He ran the brush through his hair. His hair was short and it was a quick process. He set the brush down and dropped the towel from his shoulders, getting ready to get dressed. Then Bethany stepped into him and Aasrel looked down at her. He set his hands against her and kissed her back. Her words made him flush and tense slightly, but he smiled and hugged her.

~ Aasrel

When he tensed she hugged him tightly. She knew it had been difficult for him, and she wanted him to know she understood. Allow that understanding to reinforce that she saw him and not the implants. It had been a very pleasant morning.

She hugged him a moment longer and then gathered her clothes and stepped into the main room to put on her pirate uniform. When Aasrel joined her, she was slipping various weapons and tools into hidden pockets of her jacket, pants, and boots.

Bethany

Aasrel came out of the bathroom wearing his clothes from the night before. He’d need to go stop by his own quarters to pick up his ‘uniform’. It was a long sleeved shirt and long pants that he wore with his gloves. He still had a doctor’s coat that he wore while on shift in the med bay. He smiled at Bethany as he watched her stuff her pockets with weapons and tools. “Reminds me why I don’t envy your job.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany wove a thin flexible wire through her braid and shook her head, “I don’t envy it either. This new ship is pretty impressive, but this place doesn’t carry the inherent protection of the Federation. Better to be over prepared than caught unaware. Safety is an illusion and at the discretion of the ‘station administration’. Which means unless they know you or you can do something for them, there is none.” She walked over to the coffee pot and poured two mugs full and then twisted the caps on. “I don’t have cream or sugar, but the lounge will.” She walked over to him and handed the cup to him.

Bethany

Aasrel nodded. “I’m no fighter and I’m not that good with weapons so I’m more than happy to stick around my med bay.” He took the cup handed to him and smiled. “Thanks.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany smirked, “I’m not either. Not really. I had to work really hard at it. My mentor insisted. My computer and tactical skills are my strong points, but she insisted I had to know how to fight. It’s come in handy a few times.” She looked at him, “I would much rather you in sickbay. Especially if things go wrong you can lock the whole area down with a biological hazard protocol.” She nodded to his thanks, “Any time you want.” She stood there awkwardly. She wished they had a little more time. She was suddenly unsure what to say or do.

Bethany

Aasrel smiled, but there was something troubled about it. He’d put the Sickbay on lockdown on his ship before. It hadn’t stopped the Borg. He wasn’t going to say that though. He gave her a quick hug. “I need to go get ready to work. I’ll see you later, okay?”

~ Aasrel

She hugged him back, enjoying the feeling, wanting to let it linger, but it was quick. “Yeah, of course.” Something seemed off, and the farewell abrupt. He was almost to the door when she spoke. “Aasrel? Is something wrong? Did I do or not do something?” There was concern in her voice and deep down, worry.

Bethany

Aasrel paused and turned back to look at her. He smiled, and then moved back toward her and set his hands gently on her shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Bethany.” He sighed softly and looked at her, meeting her gaze. “It’s just… I did lockdown medical once. It didn’t save anybody.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany touched his face gently, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” Was this what he was talking about, that missing piece when one partner wasn’t telepathic. If she was, she would have known not to say something like that. She was trying to reassure him, instead she’d brought up things she’d tried all night to help him forget. “I’ll keep the ship safe, promise.”

Bethany

It wasn’t. Not really, though telepathy could have prevented that from happening. He’d more meant that something was lost in communication without telepathy, that something was missed without the ability to sense each other. He didn’t want her to feel less than though, or like he was settling because he’d lost his own telepathy. He wasn’t. He really liked her.

Aasrel hugged her, tightly, and shook his head against her. “You couldn’t have known. Please, don’t worry about it.” He loosened the hug just enough that he could look at her and smiled, “Thank you. But I don’t want to see you in my med bay as a patient. You be careful protecting the ship.”

~ Aasrel