Posted by Commander Ryder Raauhl (Executive Officer) in Happy Birthday and Olive Branches

Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in Happy Birthday and Olive Branches

(snip)

Casela was tracing the runes over and over, they would never be pried from her cold dead fingers, but she held them gently as to not damage them. She was breathing heavily, like she was back in the training holosuite. Gods she’d been wrong, and her anger had flown out of control, again because she was afraid-of him, of what he represented, FOR him, and the problems that followed her. His words hurt, because they were true. She simply whispered his name, “Ryder…” but he was right and she was a worthless hot head.

He looked around, “what’s here that you need them so desperately for, this isn’t Section 31. So what is this really about, because it’s sure as hell isn’t just about our mission, you, me or your damned weapons.” So much for no arguing, this whole idea was such a flop, all he wanted to do was leave. The advice he had been given was wrong, opposites didn’t attract or if they did they only attracted violence.

-Commander Ryder, XO

He was right, she knew that, but she didn’t know how to change that. She didn’t know how to respond to fear without becoming angry. It had saved her life and fueled her in horrible situations. Without warning those thoughts flew across the room, clearly into his head. And then....I don’t know how to NOT BE S31! If you know then tell me, because I HATE it. I HATE who I’ve become, I HATE what they made me. And NOW there you are, and I don’t know if there is anything left of ME to give you. Casela closed her eyes, but the tears started anyway. She silently cursed T’Jal and her worthless fairy tales.
Casela Synthi-er

Of all the things, Ryder wasn’t ready for that. The Trill let out a yelp of pain as he fell to the floor his hands clutching his head as her thoughts screamed into his mind. There was no time to have even thought about blocking her words out as he squeezed his eyes shut and his hands clamping over his ears helpless. It felt like agony, pure and unadulterated pain, fear and anger. Finally it shut of but Ryder couldn’t move, she had just invaded his mind with her raw emotions, it was like fireworks burning inside his head, he felt light headed and dizzy.

• Commander Ryder, XO

Casela stared in horror of what she’d done. She had heard once that soothing thoughts could be as healing to a mind as her fear, pain, and anger could damage it. She didn’t know how to do that, she’d never learned and no one had offered to show her. She was monster and a weapon. The thoughts hadn’t been focused to harm so the pain should subside quickly. She stood in front of him, took his hand, “Now you know what I really am, and I would change it, I’d take it back, but I can’t, I don’t know how.” She held the necklace in her open hand, as if offering it, but if he tried she wouldn’t let it go. “I’m none of these things.” She’s be in the brig for this, or Doc Fey would force her into a coma, to protect the crew.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

Shaking the thoughts and emotions from his mind, something which he was used to having four other people memories, thoughts, and emotions running through him he recovered quickly. “You, keep telling, yourself that,” He said standing now, blinking several times as his vision came back into focus. “That doesn’t change anything Casela, nothing will. So let’s stop pretending, and pushing at each other and admit what’s happening between us” He bashed the side of his head as if trying to dispel water from his ears. “You just caught me off guard that’s all.”

• Commander Ryder, XO

Casela had NO idea what she was doing, but Ryder was right. “I’m sorry.” She glanced around the room, that honestly could be unused. There were no personal items, no pictures, nothing to indicate who lived here. Except for the hand carved box and necklace. She stood there staring at it. Trying to change how she thought, from an opperative of S31 to just Casela. She wasn’t sure though who ‘Casela’ was anymore though. She’d always returned to Norda III where T’Jal, Jake, and F’actar had helped her find clarity and remember who she was and why she did it. That drew her back to the Freya rune stone on the necklace. She knew how vile Noa’s thoughts were, and she could not even guess as to what having a lifetime of them would be like. Rather than being angry at the wrongs Noa had done, she forced herself to react to Ryder’s actions instead. He’d waded into that ‘unpleasantness’ simply to find something to give her, on her birthday of all things. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath, her thumb caressing over the hand carved stones. What was the last thing she would normally do? What would change the situation from pushing at one another, to accepting? Casela opened her eyes and looked at him, a lot of nerves and apprehension in her eyes. She held the necklace out to him, “Will you put it on for me?”

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

He nodded moving towards her with his right hand taking the necklace she held out for him, the one he had made and the one that through their entire argument hadn’t let go. He walked behind Casela and moved her hair away to the left of her shoulder. Placing his arms around her he began to fasten the necklace as it sat around her neck. Finally he carefully pulled her hair from under the necklace before putting his hands lightly on her shoulders and twisting her around. “Beautiful” He said, both to the necklace and to the woman.

• Commander Ryder, XO

Casela stood really still. She didn’t like someone being that close to her from behind. It set her nerves on end, but she stood still, refusing the throw him across the room as he reached around her. She wasn’t sure she liked him touching her hair either. Her hair was rarely down and no one ever touched it. She turned as he twisted her around. Her fingers reaching up to trace over the runes again. “Thank you. It’s exquisite.” Casela glanced down at the necklace. “You’re very talented.” She never thought that her necklace would be returned to her. For having 4 tiger’s eye stones on it, it was surprising light, the stones cool against her skin. Her fingers traced over the runes again. She didn’t know if she was supposed to say anything else, but she did finally look at him.
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

He shrugged nonchalant, “Well I do have an unfair advantage compared to most” He continued to stare into her bright, beautiful eyes before saying “Don’t headbutt me” He leaned his head down pressing his lips against hers, the kiss again all kinds of different to their first two because this time he knew its what he wanted, and continued to want as his right hand found the back of her waist and his other found her hand.

• Commander Ryder, XO

His words caught her off guard, she was really behaving herself, “Why would I…” and then he was leaning in and she realized what he was about to do and she laughed just a little, “Oh…right.” And then he was kissing her, and the last thing she wanted to do was headbutt him. His hand on her waist made her take a step forward, closer to him and little alarms started going off in her head. ‘Oh I have issues. I need a counselor for the counselor.’ When he reached for her hand she latched on to it.

She heard his words again, “I would worry like mad the whole time you were away, I would tell you not to worry about me and do what is right, and I would want to choose to protect you over the safety of myself but I would never put anyone at any risk because of it, but it doesn’t matter because we’re strong enough to make it work and it’s worth it, your worth it.” She relaxed against him, her other hand coming up to rest against the back of his neck, either holding on or pulling him closer, she wasn’t sure.

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

Unaware of what was going through his companion’s mind their kiss deepened, far beyond of that they had either experienced before after beating the bells out of each other. The last thing he wanted to do was to pull away but after holding the moment in his mind a few seconds longer his lips parted and he chuckled, rough and throaty. “See, its much easier when neither of us are in denial. Wouldn’t you say?” his eyes opened as he withdrew his face from hers though he continued to embrace her with one arm the other moving the hair that had covered her face.

She grinned in response to his chuckle, but she wasn’t quite sure if she agreed with him. That was easy? Easier? Casela could think of a lot of things that fit that description, this encounter was not one of them. Casela refrained from saying what she was thinking. She placed her hands flat against his upper arms. He’d probably accuse her of being argumentative and unreasonable again. Easy was a relative term and there was nothing easy about it. Well it was easier than space jumping, but that was a far fetched analogy anyway....she flinched subtly, at something moving in her preferential vision, and....He was touching her hair again! Okay this was a problem. He liked messing with her hair, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Okay tight woven braids from now on, if any of her hair came loose she was cutting it off. She took a half step back and stopped at the feel of his arm. She was starting to feel hemmed in and her nerves were going off like misfires of a phaser. She did a mental check of the room, something she often did, to center herself in a place and focus her thoughts and calm her nerves.

“I would suggest we keep this a secret but no doubt half the crew already suspect we’re a thing, I noticed how the agents looked between us during training” He explained before adding, “And the other officer are not stupid.”

-Commander Ryder, XO

With a cocky grin she moved back a step, “Oh I’m good at keeping secrets, and hearing what people say. They believe you are spending your time with someone, but that someone is not me.” She looked at him very sternly, “And you,” she poked him the chest, probably playfully, but you never knew with Casela, “need to learn to listen to a room before you enter it. I had just shut Irida up about me getting beaten up by you, when you walked in laughing about someone teaching you a hard lesson. The whole 2nd RTF team thinks it was a command problem. Maybe Cobb, though Niven and Irida think he’s too old, Uh’ja think’s it was Manhattan because he thinks you were mocking Manhattan about learning something from him. Derrick keeps his mouth shut, and Liehw keeps saying it must be some woman, from RTF, that must be very passionate and the idea is very exciting to him. Oh and I should probably tell you that Manhattan thinks your some kind of throw back to medieval Earth and beats his women into submission.” Casela rolled her eyes. “I can move unseen through this ship, like no one’s business. No one will know we’re together unless we want them to, and assuming you can follow directions. But,” she locks eyes with Ryder, “I don’t care for regulations, I never have, and I’m not likely to start now. And I don’t care who knows, as long as they keep their mouth shut. Or they can spend some very unpleasant hours, delving into their own psyche on the counseling deck.”

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS