Posted by Chief Petty Officer Sam Nazarian (Host of Florence’s) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry

Posted by Lieutenant Navale Huzzen (Engineer) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry

Posted by Chief Petty Officer Sam Nazarian (Host of Florence’s) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry
Posted by… suppressed (14) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Somehow, her silence was the perfect response. He wrapped his arms around her, letting their body heat stave off the slight chill from the wind out this way. Sam rested the side of his head atop her and simple watched the dance of the light in the water.

For several minutes he said nothing, until he finally broke the silence. “We can stay here as as long as you like. The boat isn’t going anywhere without us.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale’s arms were testing over the top of his. She liked the way he was holding her. It was like they weren’t sharing the experience side by side but as one single person.

When he spoke, her lips pulled up in a grin and she patted his hand playfully. “Shhh,” she whispered, “we’re having a perfect moment.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

“Yes, Ma’am,” he quipped before shutting up. Technically she did not only outrank him, but she was an officer and him a retired NCO.

She smiled and turned her head to look at him and winked before turning back to the view. She wasn’t thinking about rank or NCO vs Officer. That sort of thing didn’t matter to her.

Sam went back to enjoying their silent enjoyment and if the wind had gotten colder at all, he couldn’t tell. He was suffused with not just their combined warmth, but the feeling that he hadn’t been quite this at peace in a long time. Oh, the worst of the demons had been fought off long ago, but every time the ship went to red alert, he had to steel himself. It was the constant conflict he could never quite let go off. But here in this moment, such worries didn’t exist, and even if they did, they were in another galaxy far from anything that mattered.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

The moment was like a dream. It was beautiful. It was unbelievable. Navale had never seen anything like it. Growing up in the Shanty town on Corridan… well you couldn’t imagine things like this there. Nothing wondrous existed there. Her childhood self would never believe this. She sighed a little, the sound full of wonder.

Navale wasn’t sure how long they stood there watching the jellyfish and the stars reflect in the water. The temperature was dropping, but she didn’t notice.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

It sucked to have to break the spell, to pull them out of this moment. But it would only get colder and the lantern at their feet gave off mostly light and scent to keep the bitting bugs away. He snuggled in closer and hugged her with his arms as he whispered in her ear. “Take a mental picture and hold on to it. When the days are hard and you’re struggling to find a way through, come back to this and remember that there is beauty and wonder in the galaxy. We should get back to the boat, but would it make it easier to leave if I promise that we can come back here the next time the Ogawa come to Outpost 42?” Preferably, next time without having blown a three-deck hole in it’s hull.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale stared out at the bay, completely wrapped in the intimacy of the moment. Her arms tightened over his as she took one last look. She turned her head against his shoulder to look at him. “I’m going to hold you to that promise, Sam.” Her hand came up and cupped his jaw and she kissed him. It was sweet and delicate and just a feathering. “Just because.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He grinned and placed his hand on hers. “Fortunately for us both, I’m not in the habit of making promises I don’t intend to keep.” He couldn’t control where the Ogawa went, but he could ensure that they had a moment to come back here next time the ship came to Outpost 42. Hell, he’d borrow a shuttle at midnight and bring her here if he had to.

Bending down, he grabbed the lantern. “Okay, let’s head back. And mindful of the steps now that we’re going back down.”

Sam once again took the lead and took the stairs one by one with her, his hand ready should she need it.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale followed him down. The boulders were tall on either side and she kept a hand on them to steady her in the dark. About half way down her sandal slipped on the lite covering of sand that was present on the stones. Her hand darted out and grabbed his hand as her other leg buckled.

When she was steady, she laughed, “Well next time, I’ll remember hikng boots instead of trying to look dressed up.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Sam caught her and wrapped his arm around her firmly. Turning, he set her on the sand and stepped down the last step to join her. He laughed lightly. “Well, it’s my fault for not specifying dress code, but I think if I had, it wouldn’t have been quite so magical and fun. Besides, I think you look lovely tonight,” he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled at her.

Her breath caught as he lifted her down the last step, and a little ‘wow’ slipped out on her breath. “Thank you.” Then she laughed, “I guess I’ll keep this outfit.”

It was a fairly easy stroll back around the boulders and across the sandy beach to their dining spot. Sam grabbed the last of the items and tucked them away. Slipping the bag on his shoulder, he lifted the cooler with ease. Gazing at the sand you wouldn’t have known they were there except for the indentations in the sand. “Ready for the boat ride back?”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale looked around and slipped her hand onto his arm. “I suppose we must.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He led her back to the dock and their intrepid skipper appeared with a smile on his face. “Ready to head back?”

“Reluctantly, but yes,” Sam said, handing him the cooler so he could step back into the boat. He set the bag to the side and held out his hands to help Navale in.

Soon, they were back on their way, cutting a path back to the marina, but this time it was fully night and the stars were out, unmarred by the light from the resorts. Sam grabbed a blanket so the night air didn’t bite at them as their speed increased and he invited her to sit with him where they had before. The boat arced out of the bay but it wasn’t far enough to see the next bay over, so the glowing jellyfish and their food now were only in their memories.

“I’m glad we did this,” he said.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navalr snuggled down under the blanket beside him. The stars were stunning. They saw them in space, without end, but there was something ethereal about looking up at them from a planet. She looked over at him. “I am too. I am devestatingly disappointed it is over, just so you know how much I enjoyed today with you.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Sam slipped an arm around her, pulling her in close, and he couldn’t help but grin at her. “The way I see it, we wanted a chance to find a little magic, yeah? But if there was always magical moments, we’d get so used to them they’d cease to be so special.” He gazed down at her with a deep smile. “That you enjoyed all of this just tells me that it was the right magic for the right moment, even if later moments might not quite live up to tonight.”

Navale’s laugh told how delighted she was. “Well of course. If I wasn’t disappointed, then there wouldn’t have been any magic.”

“Because, you should know, that since we both had such a lovely time, I fully intend on us having another date. It would be a shame not to, don’t you think?”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“Oh, that would be a huge shame,” her voice dropped as she leaned in, close enough to kiss, “Good thing I know I’ll say yes.” Her gaze dropped to his mouth and then back up, “and that this date isn’t quite over yet.” Then she brushed a kiss across his cheek and laid her head on his shoulder.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He grinned and squeezed his arm just a little more around her. “You have an excellent point.” He could feel the warmth from where her lips had touched his cheek and Sam had to admit that he hadn’t had such a lovely evening with someone in quite sometime.

He let the silence setting over them as they simply enjoyed the boat ride back to the marina. The lights from the resort were brighter than anything around and yet it didn’t diminish the beauty of the stars and a waxing gibbous moon that had risen.

Balwin guided the boat smoothly back to the marina and Sam pulled his arm away from Navale but tucked the blanket around her as he got up. “We’ll just get the boat secure.”

Navale laughed, “Alright,” and settled back into the warm blanket against the now chilly breeze and watched the stars for a few more moments.

As Ridley navigated the boat to its dock, Sam stood near the end, clearly comfortable with the rocking. As the boat slowed, he braced on hand on a metal rail and hopped up on to the dock, dock line in hand and quickly tied a cleat hitch. Standing, he gave a thumbs up to Ridley on the wheel. The boat was wobbling far less now.

Sam hopped back down into the boat and slid over the access steps. Ridley appeared and Sam shook his hand. “Thank you, Captain, for your services this evening.”

Balwin smirked. “Hey, I’m always happy to be out on the water and I got great food out of the deal.” He quirked a brow. “And does this mean we’re even now?”

Navale stood, folding the blanket and setting it carefully on the bench while to two men talked. Her eyes never left Sam though.

Sam winked at Navale and made a show of tapping his lips with his index finger. “Hmm, the debt might be settled. At least until I whoop your ass at poker the next time we’re this way.”

She grinned and shook her head at Sam’s antics. She liked his playful attitude, but also good to know he had a poker face too. That was something to consider later on perhaps.

Ridley snorted. “Sounds about right.”

Ridley smiled at Navale. “So, what did you think of Koianala Bay? Pretty amazing, huh? Six years in these waters and I never tire of the sight.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“It was beautiful Balwin. Thank you so much for taking us out.” She smiled brightly and shook his hand. “I can honestly say, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Ridley grinned as she shook her hand. “Love to hear it, and you’re very welcome. Makes it more likely I can rely on the tourist trade here to keep me busy.” He leaned in towards her smiling conspiratorially. “And I keep trying to convince this one”-he jabbed a thumb at Sam-“to come help me out here, but can’t get him to stay planetside for very long.”

Navale laughed, “Well if I ever lose track of him, I know where to look.”

Sam chuckled. “Eh, too much of a stargazer, but luckily for you I come close enough this way to visit.”

“No, I was lucky back on the Shemhai. Now I consider it a pleasure.” Ridley grabbed the bag and slid it onto the dock so Sam and Navale could disembark safely.

Shaking his head slightly, Sam stood at the side of the stairs and held a hand out to Navale to help her up the three steps to the dock.

Navale took his hand and stepped off the boat onto the dock. “Thank you.” She turned and smiled at Ridley, “Thank you again. The ride was wonderful.”

“Thank, Cap. I really appreciate it all,” Sam said. “I’ll come back for the cooler tomorrow.”

Ridley smiled and nodded. “Anytime, Chief. You know that.”

Sam gave the older man a salute and then offered Navale his arm. “Shall we?”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“If we must,” Navale tucked her hand onto his arm with a disappointed sigh. “So you two have known each other for awhile, then?”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

“I’ll make sure we take our time, promise. No need to stop enjoying this evening until we’re both ready,” he said.

Navale’s hand tightened on his arm, her voice hinting at laughter. “Good. If there is one time that you should indulge in enjoyment it’s on vacation. That’s the whole point after all.”

Sam purposefully took his time answering Navale’s question, not because he didn’t want to, but he had to figure out how best to do so first. It was… complicated.

His long silence told her that it was a very personal thing, and she didn’t press. Navale was content to let the matter drop without comment.

“Ridley is one of my former CO’s actually. I was his Chief Operating Officer for about three years. It was my second-to-last assignment.” He glances at her sideways for a moment allowing him to smile at how lovely she was. “It was near the end of my stint that I lost the magic of being in uniform, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. Ridley gently commented on my change in behaviour and I rebuffed him. He made me see the counsellor and I thought I had it sorted but then I was reassigned. It wasn’t a bad ship, but it just didn’t feel like a good fit. I called Ridley and asked him what he thought. He said I already knew what I needed to do. And I did. I resigned a couple weeks later and a few more after that I was out of Starfleet.

She walked along beside him, quiet, letting him talk. When she felt him looking at her, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled.

“Ridley’s a good captain. He gets his crew. I was lucky to have him. And I was fortunate to serve with him a few years before he retired himself. Now he’s a sea captain,” Sam said with a grin. “It suits him. Most people who meet him now would never guess he captained a battleship in some pretty crazy battles.”

Navale glanced back over her shoulder at the now small dot of the docks. “People are never just the one piece we see. I’m glad he found something he enjoys.”

He took a risk and slid her hand that was in her arm into his hand and gave it a squeeze. Maybe it was too forward, but after tonight he felt sure enough to try.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Her fingers wrapped around his hand and squeezed back. Navale stepped closer so she could lean against him for a couple of steps as they walked. “I liked Ridley. He was nice, charming.” She grinned and squeezed his hand, “but not nearly in the same league as you.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer