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 Lieutenant Navale Huzzen (Engineer) in Gamma Tiltium IV- Tropical Chemistry
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“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

“Good,” Sam said, breathing deeply as she squeezed his hand back. “I’d hate to think I introduced competition.” He grinned and winked at her. He truly wasn’t the type of person to be jealous.

Navale laughed and leaned into him, “Not even close to competition. I’d have to try his cooking though.” She winked playfully at him.

“Oh, well then, we’ve no problem. Ridley couldn’t cook a fine meal even if a phase pointed at his head. So, I think I’m safe,” he said, flashing her a grin.

“I’m glad tonight worked out. The first time I was here, Ridley took me to the bay and for a moment that feeling of magic came back. It wasn’t the only time since I had resigned that I felt that, but it was the most profound one. After that it was like something changed. That’s when I requested civilian duty on starships. Someone had to be around to administer bar therapy,” he added with a chuckle.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

“Hmmm? And when the magic gets hard to find, where does the bar tender find therapy?” It was a personal question, and one Navale was fine if he chose not to answer. She found she wanted to know though. Sam had been through a lot, she could tell that much. He deserved someone.

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

Sam shrugged. “The thing about serving on starships these days, is there is always someone with a therapy background on board. So, if needed, I’ve no problem going to see them. But I’ve found that in engaging in conversations with those that come into my lounge, I inevitably get a little something back, so it’s an exchange, even if they don’t realize it. But we both get something out of it. Most of the time, it’s enough.”

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale was curious about when it wasn’t enough, but she decided not to ask for now. Sam would tell her when and if he was ready. “So, in all those conversations, has anyone given you hints to not to miss spots around here?”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

“Well, I learned about the bioluminescent bay from Ridley, but Ensign Hayes mentioned that there’s a jungle walk you can do not too far from the resort. Apparently there is a colony of birds that build these really large nests.” He chuckled. “I don’t know all that much about birds, so I can’t say whether it would be interesting or not, but she did warn that the bugs get a bit more irritating the deeper you get in the jungle, so don’t go unprepared.”

As they came to the beginning of the boardwalk, they could either go straight ahead into the resort, or wander along a paved path that meandered along the cove where the resort was nestled. “How are you feeling? Want to keep going or call it a night?” He wasn’t eager to end the evening, but his gut was saying there would be more adventures with Navale, so if they headed back he was okay with that.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s

Navale grinned, “I’m feeling great, and I tend to be a night owl. There is something about being out and about, awake, when others are settling in and everything is slowing down. So if we do call it a night, I’ll just be back out here on my own getting into trouble.”

Lt. Huzzen, Engineer

He gave a throaty chuckle. “Well, we can’t have that, now can we?” Sam shifted the bag on his other shoulder and gave her hand a squeeze, leading down along the walkway. The area was mildly landscaped as an extension of the resort, and there were little paths that veered off to go to a pool here, or beach cabanas there. “What do you like about night time?” Sam asked.

~Sam, Host of Florence’s