Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Valentine’s Day with Roman and Rand

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Valentine’s Day with Roman and Rand

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Valentine’s Day with Roman and Rand
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Her compliment made him smile again. He was glad she liked them. He set his napkin in his own lap, and then picked up a fork and tried a bite. It was pretty good, he was relieved to find out. He had taste tested during the cooking process, of course, but he was still worried about how the final dish would turn out. But it was fine. He took another bite and then looked up at Rand, watching her reaction to the food. “I thought I’d do something you’d like. We could eat before the dance.”

~ Roman

Rand took a bite and hummed her delight at the food. It was very good. So he did cook himself. Other than the lopsided pie crust Rand assumed he’d cooked this before. It wasn’t a hard dish unless you were going for ‘pretty.’ “It’s delicious, thank you for making it.” Rand was quiet for several minutes, enjoying the food. Breakfast had consisted of tea. She’d skipped everything else that day, too busy with the extra work and she had opted to see Nibbles instead of lunch. She cautioned herself to eat slow so she didn’t either upset her stomach eating too fast, or be so full she got tired. It never occurred to her that she should factor her anxiety into it. She paused picking up her drink and the whole atmosphere struck her. Someone else might find the whole thing cheesey, but Rand felt…loved and a little spoiled.

Rand

Roman smiled at her again as he ate more of his own. Breakfast for him was also tea. And he’d skipped lunch trying to rush through his work so he could leave early. He was glad he’d done it. It wasn’t like he’d never skipped lunch before, and this was worth it. Besides, the shepherd’s pie had turned out well. He just needed to not eat so much he was too tired and sluggish to dance well. It was cheesy if you asked Roman. Having cushions for the chairs that weren’t shaped like hearts would’ve helped. At least Rand seemed happy with it, that’s what mattered. “Thank you. I’m glad everything turned out well.”

~ Roman

The cushions were over the top, and that is what convinced Rand he meant for it to be cheesey. Just to add a bit of silliness to help her relax. Rand didn’t think about it too much, but Roman seemed to have a way of making things easier for her when he was around. Rand smiled, “It did. Thank you, this was a wonderful surprise after such a busy day.” Rand managed to finish most of the plate. The pie hadn’t been overly dense, but she didn’t want to be sluggish. She would save the rest. It was good. She set her fork down and her napkin next to her plate. One more bite and she’d be stuffed.

Rand

“You’re welcome,” he said, clearly happy she liked it. Roman finished his entire serving of the pie. When they were both done, he stood and started stacking the dishes on the tray they’d come up on. He checked the time, 1845. He’d expected dinner to take about that long. “Once you’re ready, we should get ready for the dance.” And then he could give her the little gift when she came back. That seemed like a good plan.

~ Roman

Rand stood, intending to help clear the meal but Roman was quick. She nodded, “I probably need half an hour.” Rand returned to her quarters, Randy was waiting for her. “Chop chop, into the shower, I haven’t got all night.” Rand shook her head and grinned. The shower was wonderful but not nearly long enough. The gym had been thoroughly scrubbed and a lot of that ended up on the crew who had been cleaning. The hot water was heavenly on tense muscles. She was carrying tension in her shoulders that she hadn’t been aware of. But she didn’t have time to indulge.

Wrapped in a robe, Randy, using gentle pressure, pushed her down into a chair. It was a little like being prepped for costume for a performance, but Randy had always loved playing with her hair, ever since they were kids. And he kept up a non-stop chatter the whole time. Her long wet tresses soon turned into a beautiful crown of braided red gold, held in place by bobby pins topped with metal filigree roses. Yellow, lavender, white and pink dotted through the braid, but no red or orange. “They will blend in with your hair, we can’t have that,” Randy declared. He teased a few curly tendrils out to frame her face, put some lightly tinted lip-gloss on her lips and declared her done. “You don’t need cosmetics, Sweet, you’re beautiful as is.”

Her dress was a lovely satin and lace piece in a deep hunter green. Off the shoulder, the dress was pleated around her waist and framed her torso, curving up and around her shoulders. The top had a beautiful lace design that looked like ivy chasing across her delicate skin. From the pleated and cinched waist the dress flared out to a stunning asymmetrical skirt. Falling just below her knees in the front the back faired and flowed to the floor in the back. The hem accented with the same lace as the neckline and dotted with sequins. Gold satin heeled sandals slipped onto her feet. (https://imgur.com/a/s8rYFnT)

Randy appeared from the bathroom, white silk shirt, the finest high quality wool tartan wrapped around his waist and slipped up and over his right shoulder and held in place by a pin of the clan crest. His black calf high boots shone like black glass. He took Rand’s hand and spun her once. “You look amazing, Miranda.” He kissed her cheek. “If Alden doesn’t stop breathing when he sees you, there’s something wrong with him.” He picked up a small box, kissed her cheek again and left. He had his own date to go pick up.

Rand

Once she left, Roman took a quick shower, styling his hair with a more formal style. He could take the dishes back to the galley later, for now he set them aside. Then he got dressed, wearing a classic black three piece suit. He checked his looks in the mirror, messed with his hair a bit, straightened out his tie, and grabbed the little box from his desk. Then he headed over to the Farquharson quarters and knocked on the door.

When Rand answered, Roman was unable to hide his reaction. Her dress was beautiful, perfectly complementing her skin tone and hair colour. She was breathtakingly beautiful and for once in his life Roman forgot to breathe for a second. “Miranda, you look… absolutely beautiful,” he breathed, and then he composed himself and smiled.

Rand flushed all over as Roman stared at her. Randy got his wish, but Rand wouldn’t have noticed if Randy hadn’t put the thought in her head. She was too busy catching her own breath. Roman looked positively aristocratic in his suit. She could see him stepping off the screen of some Victorian piece and when he smiled Rand was captivated. Her cheeks turned pink as she smiled up at him. “Thank you. You look splendid.”

Roman smiled at the compliment, but he was still in awe over her dress and how she looked so he said nothing. However nice he looked, stood at her door with perfect posture in the suit, it couldn’t possibly hold a candle to her.

Then Roman remembered what he was holding and held out the little box. It was a small cardboard box, maybe three inches tall, eight long, and three or four wide wrapped in plain matte red paper. Inside was a life-sized wooden sculpture of Nibbles, the lab’s Atarivan mouse. The tail was made of a fabric meant to look like the little mouse’s tail. It was made from the wood of the Kelmao branch Roman had brought back to the ship. During lab testing on the wood, it had been noticed how pretty the wood was, with a rich dark brown grain with a lot of dark red mixed in, not unlike earth cherry wood, but far more vibrant. Roman had considered painting the sculpture to look like Nibbles, but it would have been a shame to cover the wood’s natural grain. Sealant had been used on it, and that had only made its natural colour more vibrant.

~ Roman

He held a box out to her and Rand took it in delicate hands. She wasn’t planning to keep the paper, but she was careful of the box as she unwrapped it. She opened the box and a smooth wooden object slid into her palm. Her breath exhaled in an awed rush, “Ohhh....” and the paper slipped to the floor and the hastily discarded box missed the desk top, hitting the floor with a whispered thump. A perfect replica of Nibbles. It sat in her palm the same way Nibbles did, the cloth tail even curling in a way it could wrap around her fingers the way Nibbles did some times. She turned it over and around several times, fingers tracing the lines of the figure but the wood as well. She knew immediately it was from Kelmao. When they had started started testing it and the colors had been so brilliant, Roman had showed her because she’d mentioned how vibrant every color on Kelmao was. It had to be from Roman’s walking stick. It was the only sample big enough to do this with.

The reminder to their ordeal on the planet wasn’t his goal, more that she’d gone. And it was their love for animals that brought them together, wasn’t it? So what better gift than a replica of her favourite of his animals made from wood from the first alien planet she’d been allowed to visit? He looked incredibly relieved. She liked it, clearly, he could tell by the way she traced the incredible detail with her fingers. The walking stick was more than large enough to accommodate the carving, in fact there was still plenty more wood to work with. Roman wasn’t interested in keeping it as a branch, he didn’t care for the reminder of his leg. But the wood was too nice to waste. Nearly five and a half feet long originally, this had only taken it down to a little under five feet in length and the whole branch was equally thick around. He’d have to think of something else to do with the rest of it.

The thought and care put into it left Rand speechless and she thought she might cry - it was wonderful. The color was not only stunning but a wonderful reminder of the first planet she’d ever gotten to visit. And Roman had known how much she wanted that, at least once. Of course he may not have meant this reminder, but knowing it was from his walking stick and that whole ordeal, it was still a wonderful reminder. Of course it was Nibbles, and if not for her and the help he needed with her that morning, they may not be right here. And as fanciful as it was, Nibbles was kind of like their own little Cupid. Rand suddenly hugged him, tightly, arms around his neck, holding the mouse in one hand. “Thank you.”

Rand

Rand hugged him suddenly, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace. He put his arms around her and smiled again. “I’m glad you like it.” After a few moments he let her go and put his hand out for hers. “Are you ready to go?”

~ Roman

Roman let go and asked if she was ready to go. She needed to put the carving somewhere. She moved across the room, the skirt swirling and fluffing from the motion and set ‘Nibbles’ on her bedside table. Then she returned, setting her hand in his. “I am.” She was ready to go, she wasn’t sure she was ready to attend a party. They’d always been a problem for her. She’d managed, thanks to Randy. Over the years Randy had helped her come up with several ways to deal with the crowds and press and socializing. Randy had always been there, reminding her and even dealing with it for her. This would not be that bad. Go in, check on things, and then leave. Roman would be with her and Randy would be somewhere. There was less than 100 people on board, so it could not be that crowded.

They made their way to the turbolift. No one was getting on with them, Deck 3 only holding command and support quarters. The lift did stop on deck 5 and 6 as others got on and off to either attend or get ready for the party. No one said anything, but there were some widening of eyes before people returned to whatever conversations they had been having. Rand squeezed his arm gently where it was tucked into his elbow. It could have been nerves or it simply could have been she was happy to be with him.

Rand

Roman seemed oblivious to the widening of eyes and the momentary hushing of words as people loaded into the lift. He didn’t seem to mind the occasional stare either. When Rand squeezed his arm he looked at her and smiled.

The gym had been done up for the Valentines dance. The walls were decorated, the lights were brought down to change the atmosphere, and there was a table with (nonalcoholic) drinks. The dance had a good turnout, for a ship of less than one hundred, there must have been sixty or so people there. Roman headed in with Rand, politely greeting anyone they passed.

~ Roman