Posted by Civilian Sisnil Zoi (Intelligence Consultant) in It’s Not Simple, No Matter What You Say

Posted by Ensign Dradvia (Medical Officer) in It’s Not Simple, No Matter What You Say

Posted by Civilian Sisnil Zoi (Intelligence Consultant) in It’s Not Simple, No Matter What You Say
Posted by… suppressed (57) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Dradvia hadn’t seen Sisnil the last day. She wasn’t exactly avoiding him, but she was too upset by her own feelings to deal with them. There was no one to talk to about it, and that made her miss Kryssa all the more. She could tell Kryssa anything, and know she would listen and still accept her. Dradvia was too timid around strangers now to make much of an effort to get to know anyone. She was NOT comfortable discussing this with Dr. Tessan at all.

Sisnil hadn’t been waiting for her during her break or after her shift. He was probably with Simon. The kitten needed watching, and Sisnil had a companion now. She told herself she was relieved and also making something out of nothing, but she was still sad. She checked the holosuite. It was empty and so she ran the garden program. She found a small secluded grove of trees and sat. Soon Umbra found her and curled up in her lap. Dradvia leaned her head against a tree and absently pet the holographic cat while she watched a storm blow across the program.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil entered the holodeck, cradling a harnessed Simon. He had meant to test his cat playground, but apparently someone else was using the place unscheduled. He checked the name. “Oh. Dee?” He said, raising his voice so she’d hear him. “You in here?”

~ Zoi

Umbra sat up and meowed loudly. Dradvia lifted her head and looked around. Then she heard him. She swore at her stupid heart that started racing with happiness and her stomach the flipped and flopped at the sound of his voice. He had come looking for her. She stood up and Umbra jumped out of her arms and toward the cooking house. “Sisnil? Over here,” she said as she emerged from the trees.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil set Simon down, who ran over to Dradvia and rubbed against her leg. He headed over to her and smiled. “I’m glad you’re using this.” He said.

~ Zoi

Dradvia smiled and bent down and swept Simon up into her arms. Was he why Umbra ran off? She was holographic, would another animal really bother her? “Hello baby. Did your Daddy let you out?” She nuzzled his fur as Sisnil walked up. “I like it here. No one else was using the holosuite, so…” she shrugged. She had been looking for him, when she didn’t find him she decided she would cuddle with Umbra instead.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“You were looking for me?” The thought was quiet, not intended for him, but he heard it all the same. It made him smile, though. “Well, glad I came by then.” He gestured to Simon, “I’m getting him used to being in his harness and being out around the ship.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia shrugged and put Simon down. “I hadn’t seen you in a few days. I… I was just wondering how you were doing.” He hadn’t been looking for her. She slammed the disappointment away, she hoped before he felt it. She kept her eyes in the kitten, “How is he adjusting?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“He seems to like it alright. Likes it a lot more when I take him with me.” Sisnil smiled. “Your wondering is.. nice.” He pointed to Simon, “I finished his playground! I want to see how he likes it. But I don’t wanna disturb you either, so I’ll wait till you’re done.”

~ Zoi

“Oh no, go ahead. I wasn’t really doing anything.” Mostly she was just hiding from an empty room and visiting Umbra. The cat had run off anyway. She wouldn’t want to hurt Simon by giving attention to a fake cat anyway. At least not while he could see. He wouldn’t understand.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil changed the program. It turned into a jungle with trees and vines, things to chase and crawl through and climb, all built with Simon’s safety in mind. There were other animals, to get him used to the sights and sounds of other animals.

~ Zoi

Dradvia looked around, turning in place. She was sure Simon was going to love it. Everything a cat could want, she was sure. Not that she knew what that might be. She didn’t like it though. Too enclosed, too many places for someone to hide and drag you away unnoticed. Not enough clear exits, and it also felt very isolated, too far away from the safety of a crowd.

She let it all go with a breath. This was the holodeck, escape was simply an uttered word away. Besides the program wasn’t for her, it was for Simon, and he already seemed to be enjoying the different sounds and smells. Or at least was very curious. He was fun to watch, it was a simple joy.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil stood behind Dradvia, close, but careful. He was just behind her - close enough to catch the soft scent of a men’s cologne. “I’ve got your back, Dee. No need to feel so exposed, not with me here,” he said softly, gently. “Let yourself relax. Watch Simon hunt and play.”

~ Zoi

When was the last time anyone stood that close behind her? And not used it to hurt her? Dradvia couldn’t remember. He wanted her to trust him, to feel safe, to chose to relax with him. It wasn’t that simple. She wasn’t afraid of him. He would not harm her. At the same time he terrified her. He could shatter her with very little effort. He voice was almost hypnotic. Like he was leading her through a meditation exercise. Her eyes strayed to Simon as he explored.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil could. But he wouldn’t. “You’ll always be safe when I’m around.” He said softly. He wasn’t manipulating her emotions. He wanted her to calm on her own, not to feel like he was trying to fool her somehow.

~ Zoi

She wasn’t nervous or anxious, she was just incredibly vulnerable, confused, and sad. Dradvia only nodded silently. She believed that. It didn’t matter that it was true. Even if it wasn’t, she needed to believe she was safe with him. Wasn’t that pathetic? Not that it mattered. Sisnil wouldn’t be staying. He was going back to his twin and his crew. In the end she had only herself, and whatever safety there was, was illusion.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil watched Simon as the kitten went up to Dradvia and rubbed against her leg. “Look, he wants attention from you.”

~ Zoi

He was close enough she could feel his body heat, the warmth of his words on the nap of her neck, and the smell of the jungle erased by the scent of his cologne. The longing to simply lean back against him made her chest ache with pain. A simple movement that really wasn’t simple at all.

Her head tilted down as his words gave her something else to think about. She knelt, carefully, and scratched Simon about the ears. “Don’t you want to explore?” He gave a pitiful mewl and she pet him again.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil sat on the ground, leaned against a tree. “There’s holographic bugs, but they’re programmed to never land or crawl on you.” He commented, grinning.

~ Zoi

She wasn’t avoiding sitting to stay away from bugs. It was a defensive thing. It was easier to get up and run if you were still on your feet. She was certain Sisnil knew that, and why he said what he did. Dradvia scratched Simon’s chin gently. “If the bugs won’t land, then how are you supposed to investigate, huh?” She knew she was exaggerating the point Sisnil was making. She was doing it on purpose. “Bugs are fascinating and beautiful, but can be dangerous. You don’t have to worry about that here,” she told the tiny kitten. She did sit, but she moved so she could see him out of her peripheral vision. She just couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him. She didn’t know why, but she had this deep seated instinct not too. Right now she felt calmer giving into that instinct.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

That didn’t bother Sisnil. “Well, see, they’ll land on him, I just don’t like them on me.” He said. Simon wandered off, his attention caught by something.

~ Zoi

She could understand not liking bugs. Dradvia hated to be dirty. She always had, even as a child. But bugs didn’t mean filth or bacteria, though they could. They never particularly bothered her. Of course Risa cultivated the type of insects on the planet. They didn’t want anything to ruin the tourists vacations. Her eyes followed Simon like magnets. Watching him hunt and play. The way he ran back to Sisnil when he got startled and then set out again. She liked watching the way Sisnil was with Simon, and the way the cat seemed to be so full of wonder about the world around itself. Everything was new and exciting.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Simon seemed to help Sisnil relax a little. Though if Dradvia were paying attention, she’d notice he was always, always aware of his surroundings. Surveying for threats. He pet Simon gently each time the kitten came and checked in with him. He was quiet for a while, just watching Simon play and enjoy his holoprogram.

~ Zoi

Dradvia was just as quiet, watching the cat, silently cheering him on every time he tried something. She didn’t really notice how alert Sisnil was. More to the point, Dradvia was hyper aware of everything, and it didn’t strike her as different in Sisnil. She was nowhere near as dangerous as Sisnil, but she was just as aware. The jungle made her uneasy, even though she knew it was holographic. It was a good exercise for herself, she supposed, to stay in a place that felt unsafe and force herself to be calm and rational because her mind knew it was when her instincts said otherwise.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil leaned back against the tree and watched Simon play. “It seems like he likes it. That’s good. I felt a little bad keeping him in my room when he tried to climb the wall.”

~ Zoi

She watched as Simon tried to climb the trunk of a tree. “He does seem to want to climb. Maybe he needs something tree like in your quarters.” She watched as he lost his grip and fell as he tried to catch a bug. Dradvia winced as he landed hard on his feet. She wanted to scoop him up and cuddle him until he was okay. “Maybe a holographic projector of a flying bug?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil nodded, “I’m sure I can arrange that.” He said. Then he smiled, “Good idea, Dee.”

~ Zoi

She shrugged, “All children, all babies are the same I guess. They want to play and explore. If you don’t give them safe things, they get into mischief.” She’d spent a lot of time around the babies at the orphanage. All the older kids did, trying to give what they hadn’t had.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“I guess.” Sisnil and Noril hadn’t gone to an actual orphanage. He’d never spent time around younger children. “I want him to be happy. I.... I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have brought a cat on board.” It was first time pet owner remorse, common, but hitting Sisnil a bit hard due to his other anxieties.

~ Zoi

“Don’t start that, Sisnil,” she said, glancing fully at him for a moment before looking back at the cat. “He’s already attached to you. He’s curious, active, and happy.” She chanced another glance at him quickly, “and you’re happy too. You did bring him here, so now you are committed to keeping him. You can’t dwell on what ifs. He’s wonderful. Please don’t regret it.” She sounded wistful and … something else. Almost sad, but not quite.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil chuckled through his nose and smiled. “You’re right. I know, I know, you’re right.” He wasn’t going to say he was a worrier… But he was.

~ Zoi

“It is a big responsibility, that caring of another’s life. You can’t go back on it.” She was quiet. Dradvia always was, but there was a seriousness, almost fierceness, that creeped into her voice. This was a sensitive subject to her - the willy-nilly abandonment of the young and innocent. There was no hint of accusation in her emotions and thoughts. It never crossed her mind that Sisnil would do that, but people did and it bothered her deeply.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“I know.” There was a similar seriousness, that in his voice, with his demeanor came across dark and brooding. “I have the responsibility of a life on my conscience already.”

~ Zoi

It wasn’t his fault really. Dradvia was just timid and uneasy around dark, brooding, and intimidating. She wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive gesture that she wasn’t even aware of. She immediately thought of Noril. “I know you do,” she said earnestly, scared she’d offended him or done something to upset him. She wasn’t usually so vocal about her opinions. She had to stop, there was no way to know what would set people off and what wouldn’t. “You’ll get back to Noril. I know you will,” she said in barely a whisper. She had to believe that, she needed to believe he would get back to his family.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil looked at her and moved closer. “‘S alright, Dee. I’m not upset.” He sighed softly, “Noril, yes… But also Vash. I don’t consider her… You know, property. But she is my responsibility. They both are.”

~ Zoi

Whether from long instinct to protect her personal space, or from fighting her reaction to lean into him, her posture stiffened. It was hard for Dradvia to know which was the reason.

“I thought you said she was given to both you and Noril?” Dradvia knew he didn’t think of Vash as property, but Dradvia also knew what happened to a slave whose master went missing. “Noril will take care of her. You said there was more between them.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil nodded. “He will. I have full confidence in him.” But he shouldn’t have to. Sisnil should be there. “A slave can’t have two owners, Dee. It’s like…” He felt gross saying this, but, “owning a pet. Ugh, that sounds terrible. But anyway, we both ‘own’ her, the same as we both own that ship,” again, ugh, he hated having to talk about Vash like a new ATV in the garage. “but, everything goes in my name. It’s another little security precaution I took to protect Noril.”

~ Zoi

She wanted so badly to comfort him. All she could manage was to briefly brush his arm with her finger tips. Even that was hard today. “It is terrible, but you don’t need to explain. I know.” She stared off through the trees, memories intruding as well as fear for Vash. Sisnil couldn’t protect her if he was gone.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

It was the thought that mattered. Her fingertips brushed against his arm ever so gently. “That’s right,” Sisnil said softly, her thoughts in his head. “She’s my responsibility, to keep her safe from the Syndicate. And I’m not there.”

~ Zoi

“I’m sure Noril will keep her safe. Maybe he will think of forging a sale document.” Sisnil said she was close, attached, to Noril, but she couldn’t how scared Vash would be right now. Dradvia couldn’t imagine a possibility where the woman wouldn’t be frightened. “Maybe Noril will buy her freedom before anything happens?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“That’s what he’s hoping,” Sisnil said with certainty. “He won’t let it show, but he’s worried he’ll lose everything. His first move will have been to see how close he is to buying her out. Once he knows he’ll plan from there. I’m hoping he did tell the Syndicate what happened to me, that’ll buy him time.”

~ Zoi

Her body shifted forward slightly as the cat slipped and then caught his balance. Dradvia’s brows drew down as she watched Simon. She didn’t know much about the Syndicate laws except as it applied to slaves. “How so? Won’t they just take her and sell her again?” She hated to say it, it was disgusting. That was what they had always been told. It kept them fearful of killing their ‘owner’ because they could end up in the hands of someone worse.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“Noril and I are in good standing. If they want to be polite, they’d offer her to him first.” Sisnil said. “It’s… good Orion manners, to offer the ‘goods’ to him in that scenario.” He looked at her, “I know you won’t like this, but if they can contact me and confirm I’m not dead, then stealing from me is stealing from me, whether I’m present or not.”

~ Zoi

Yes, the idea filled her with trepidation, but she knew he was right, and she knew it was a strong possibility. Especially after she sent that message for him. They would try to get to him and then find her. Dradvia would die before she ever went back.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil wouldn’t let them have her. He’d buy her if he had to. He’d have to pay for her and the runaway fee. And he’d do it. “If Noril tells them why I’ve gone missing, once he hears back about what they want to do about it, he will attempt to warn me.”

~ Zoi

“I know.” She had been thinking it over a lot. How she could allow Noril to reach Sisnil. The only thing she came up with was telling Noril her name and posting and let him send it to her. The thought paralyzed her with fear.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Noril would never backstab someone who gave him valuable information, but Sisnil understood why the idea was terrifying to Dradvia. If she gave him the name of the ship, Noril would take care of the rest, though. Noril and the Syndicate. Sisnil smiled at her. “Do what you are comfortable with doing.”

~ Zoi

She didn’t smile at all, just an almost nod. She wasn’t worried about Noril, she was worried about someone intercepting the message. If it was just her at risk.... she had a feeling she would do anything for Sisnil, but it wasn’t just her.

Simon trotted over with a large bug in his mouth and dropped it at Sisnil’s feet. “Awww, pretty bug, Simon. Did you bring Sisnil a gift?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil smiled and picked it up as if it were normal. It was only holographic after all. It looked like some sort of tree beetle. “Aww, Simon, thanks.” He said, and pet the kitten’s head.

~ Zoi

Dradvia watched as Simon did little hops and arches to get Sisnil to pet him more. “He seems to like the program. He’ll actually be in the trees before you know it, I bet.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“He will. These cats are known climbers,” Sisnil said. After he finished petting Simon and got him to go play again, he made the computer replicate a fake bug identical to Simon’s ‘present’. “There!”

~ Zoi

Dradvia gave it a look. “There what?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“I’ve had the computer replicate it as a real thing, not just a hologram.” Sisnil said. “It’s not a real dead bug it’s… A real fake dead bug.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia looked at him like she was slightly concerned and found him adorable at the same time. “You are keeping the dead bug he brought you?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“No,” he said playfully, “I wasted the time to replicate it so I can leave it on Ensign Marco’s desk.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia grinned, she almost laughed, but she was too sad. “That’s adorable.” And that just made him more irresistible.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil smiled. “I don’t know, I just… I can’t just let it go away.” If he kept that logic up, he’d end up with a drawer of dead fake things.

~ Zoi

“You said they have feelings and personalities. So it meant something fir him to give it to you. You shouldn’t ignore that.” She gave that awkward shrug as she tried to spo Simon, “At least I don’t think you should.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“They do,” Sisnil said. “Owning pets can be hard for Betazoids. We feel what they do. But we can also feel their bonds with us the same way we feel other humanoids’ emotions.” Sisnil smiled at her, “That’s how I know he likes you. What he’s scared of. What he doesn’t like.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia watched Simon. Dradvia thought it sounded rather special. It also made her sad and lonely. “Kryssa told me once that Netazoid cats are empathic, she wanted one.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“They are,” Sisnil said. “They… Can be a lot. When they’re empathic like that, it’s almost more like having a child than a pet.” She might get the feeling he felt like he already had too much responsibility on his shoulders.

~ Zoi

Dradvia nodded, “I’ve always been told animals are very intuitive that way. I imagine it would be intense to have a pet like that. I think Kryssa was just desperate to connect with anything that would understand and not hurt her.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer