Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Paying for Our Sins

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Paying for Our Sins

(snip)

Roman hadn’t meant to hit him in the head, he’d been aiming for the shoulder. He looked quickly apologetic, “You alright?”

Randy nodded, “Yeah yeah I’m alright. My fault, you warned me that the instinct to duck isn’t always the safest or most useful reaction.”

Then he explained, “In a sporting situation, head shots and and certain other… sensitive areas are off-limits. However if you’re in a self defense situation, you throw those rules out. They’re aiming to hurt you, you aim to hurt them, if only enough to stop them from hurting you.” Roman was trained enough he could purposefully break bones if he needed to, though he’d rather not. Going back into teaching mode seemed to help him a little but he still looked upset and unfocused.

“Civilization goes out the window in other words. It all becomes survival.” Randy got that and agreed with it. He just had never been much of a fighter, and so never had interest in martial arts. He preferred that old saying about being a lover not a fighter.

Roman shrugged, “Basically, yes. It isn’t ideal but Rand sent us here for me to teach you to defend yourself, since you can’t talk everyone to death.” He managed a little grin with his statement.

He remembered when he and Jay had first been given that lesson. They were twelve, and their instructor had caught them talking about their Starfleet plans. He’d warned them then that if you only knew sport martial arts it may actually not be helpful in actually dangerous situations. Jay and Roman had read about that though, and said that they teach you hand to hand in Academy.

Not that any of it had done Jay any good in the end, Roman thought, unable to push it away before it pushed him over the edge and the tears he’d been holding back burst out, with Roman hurrying to hide it before anyone else in the gym noticed.

~ Roman

Randy was always quick thinking and saw the look on Roman’s face before Roman turned. He rubbed at his head. “Ach, time ta stop, I’m gettin’ slow. Tired is good for later not exhaustion.” He picked up his bag and followed Roman toward the locker room. “Coisich, na ruith.”

Roman started to head to the locker room after Randy said he was ‘getting slow’. He was pretty sure it was a cover, and that thought was confirmed when he heard Randy’s voice in Gaelic behind him: ‘Walk, don’t run.’ Roman was deliberately trying to look as normal as possible, his head bowed down to hide his face but more in a way as though to pretend he was tired.

Inside the locker room Randy led him toward a quiet corner, grabbing Roman’s bag as they passed it. He put a hand in his shoulder and encouraged Roman to sit. Then he sat across from him and waited. Rummaging around for a couple of water bottles.

Randy

Roman was going to reach for his bag and leave, but Randy was instead guiding him into a quieter corner of the room and he grabbed Roman’s bag when they passed it. Roman was embarrassed. He didn’t allow this sort of thing in front of other people, it wasn’t acceptable, and he was in no place to remember Rand’s advice about what to do with his parents’ judgemental opinions. He was struggling with the grief and the guilt and he couldn’t stop crying so he did it as quietly as he could, taking long shaky breaths to try and stop the shaking of his shoulders.

~ Roman

Randy didn’t say anything. Well that wasn’t true, any time the door opened Randy would somehow be in the middle of some outlandish claim as if still goading Alden on. It was only twice that the door opened though. Otherwise he stayed quiet letting him have the freedom for grief to rage. Randy stepped away, but not gone, then returned and set a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly a moment and then set a damp cloth in Roman’s hand before resuming his seat.

Randy

The two times the door opened Roman made a harder (and still failed) effort to stop but Randy had it covered, making absurd claims in attempts Roman recognized as theatrical or fake, to pretend they were still taunting and goading each other. Then he stepped away for a moment and Roman did not look up, but he hadn’t heard the door so he knew Randy hadn’t left. Still he felt the need to look up when Randy touched his shoulder and then ducked his head again when he saw it was Randy. He felt a cold, damp cloth pressed into his hand and took it, bringing the cloth to his face and sniffing hard, trying again to calm himself.

~ Roman