Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in When the Other Shoe Drops

(snip)

Aasrel held her hand, squeezing gently. He smiled and nodded. That’s right. That means you get another kiss. Then he leaned in and kissed her again.

~ Aasrel

Bethany smiled as he kissed her. I like this game. She slipped her arms around him with all intentions of not leaving his arms for a very long time.

Bethany

Aasrel pulled her closer and kissed her again. That one’s free. He said, smiling down at her. Your turn. Focus on a specific emotion of yours. I like to use specific thoughts or memories. I’ll tell you what I sense.

~ Aasrel

Bethany went still, searching her memory for something. She didn’t know why, but she was self-conscious about it. Aasrel had seen her sob like a lost child over her memories, her bitterness, her fear. She wanted to share something positive.

She thought about arriving on Earth when she was 7. The first time her mother took her into the mountains, they had hiked and hiked for hours. All the way to the top of the mountain. Bethany had wondered why they couldn’t use a transporter, and her mother had shown her the wonder of being among the details, and the shocking sight of coming out of the trees and seeing the world stretched out below them. Underlying it though was bittersweet grief over losing her.

Bethany