Post 2: Dinner for Two

Location: Officer’s Lounge, Starship Silor

Syra walked down the corridor. The ship was en route to Starbase Atira, full speed, without incident that would involve the fleet thus far. Personal incident, on the other hand, was the days special. Even off duty, there was work to be done.

Anya would be off duty by now too. Stopping in the hall Syra didn’t wait for the chime. She knocked on Anya’s door, had to refrain from beating it down, she would not loose her temper especially in front of Anya – that other woman would love too much to see her loose control. The chime rang at last, Syra called to the woman whom was supposedly on the other side, “ Anya? Hey, we need to talk?”

No answer.

Syra tried again. Her hand was hurting where she hit it against the panel, “ow.” Syra winced putting her back to the door in frustration she asked the ship’s system for the location of the Lieutenant – to find out she was right. Anya was hiding in her quarters. Syra pulled in a breath, “fine.” She said out loud. She shrugged and turned away. Syra took notice of what time it was before heading to the lounge for a cool glass of something to drink. She would need it. She heard the woman they were picking up at Atira was also a firecracker, but hopefully in a good way. Hopefully not –quite- like Anya. Syra could really use an ally for personal messes aboard this ship.

The doors of the lounge slid open and she stepped inside and ordered a glass of iced lemonade. Syra walked over to the windows and sank into the benches there. She found the stars relaxed her as she stared out at them passing by.

Sebastian finished what he was reading and stood up. His brain was pounding again and for the millionth time, he wondered if it was his mixed DNA. With a frown he glanced at the time before shoving away from the desk. He really wished they could go faster towards Atira. He wanted to get off the ship, stretch his legs and maybe take the ship to QonoS for some much needed R&R. He stomach growled as though asking his throat if it was cut - he was starving. He walked from his ready room and made his way towards the lounge. He hoped Syra had a chance to handle Anya or he would have to. He never liked steping on his XO's toes because Syra has proven to be more than capable but Anya Toombs either needed a good kick or a demotion. One or the other it was going to be if he had to deal with her. He was quickly losing his temper when it comes to that woman and he was this close to telling her to take her shit and get out. Breathing he stepped through the door and smiled. Syra was having a drink. He walked up behind her with a smile spoke, "mind if I joined you Syra?"

Syra jumped, startled a bit. She laughed as she turned just slightly about, then all the way, “Hi,” she told Sebastian, “not at all.” She moved over on the bench just a bit and motioned to her glass, “can I get you something, I’m in here hitting the hard stuff tonight.”
"The Klingon in me wants to," Sebastian smiled slipping into the seat across from her, "but the human in me won't have it. I have a throbbing headache and I am starving. I think I was staring at my PADD too long."
Syra just smiled, “its lemonade, silly.” She told him. She got up instead and tried to find him something to eat. She knew him well enough by now to know what he liked and didn’t. As she flipped through the menu Syra asked, “maybe we should go by the homeworld, get your fix of that culture? What do you think – we are due to take a shore leave quite soon?”

"Get out of my head," he laughed. "You know you didn't have to do that right?"

“Yeah, and if I didn’t,” she added, plunking the plate down in front of him, “our dear captain might not have had dinner tonight, and if he can’t eat he can’t think and if he can’t think,” she flopped down next to him and went back to her drink, “we are all screwed or I have to take over.” She grinned at him, for some reason she was in a good mood right now. Syra laughed and patted his thigh, “and we can’t have that happen?” She held up a fork – some klingons, well, most klingons never ate with utensils, “want this?” She asked.

"Nah," he said with a chuckle. She was right. Most of the time if she didn't feed him he probably would have starved. "I don't know what I would do with out you," he chewed. "But you're right - this crew deserve some time off and they loved going to a planet with pieces of a moon." He grinned boyishly at her.

“I figured,” Syra laughed. She threw the fork behind her back intent on picking it up later. “There is something about that moon, the way the pieces trail across the night sky, all glowy and lovely.” She swallowed the last of her drink and grinned back at him, “the crew does love it. I think they like the nightlife. I know I do.”

Sebastian nodded while eyeing his plate. She was so beautiful - dark skin, long hair, big brown eyes. He inhaled deeply trying to reign in his pounding heart, "the night life- I think I just want to sleep without hearing the red alert klaxon - a full night of sleep. Then waking up the next morning, sit on the beach and stare at the water with a cup of the strongest coffee I can find..." He pushed some food into his mouth with his hand and chewed.

She smiled at him. She wanted to reach over and take his hand. The attraction was there again, she had felt it for quite some time now, it would come on now and again and thicken the air in the room so that she could hardly breathe. In fact, Syra looked forward to these few platonic moments they had together – where she could feed him and help him wind down. It was as close to anything she might ever know since she was in his direct line of command. She shrugged, “I know this great café that serves raktajinko, its built on a pier over the ocean – two for one, on your wish list? Three, sleeping without a red alert, we can probably find elsewhere too?”

He chuckled, "that would be perfect," he sighed. "I love being a commanding officer, really I do, but sometimes you are at the point to snapping."

“Yeah,” she laughed with him, “and that’s what you got me for, speaking of, I must bring up a rather distasteful subject – then we will get back to the goods of plotting a shore leave, yes?”

He moved deeper into the booth, turned his back against the wall so he could face her, "very well."

“Anya,” Syra said. She shook her head a bit in frustration, “she’s hiding in her quarters, computer has confirmed it – won’t come out. She knows she was wrong this time.”
Sebastian closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. It was starting to throb again. It had somewhat stopped when Syra had smiled at him. When she reached over and tapped his thigh he was too busy stopping his pounding heart and remembering to breath than worrying about a migrane. He tapped his comm badge "Kr'ot to transporter room one," he spoke.
"Go ahead captain," the voice returned to him.
“Lock onto Lt. Toombs and beam her to the bridge,” he ordered.

“Aye, captain.”

Sebastian turned to Syra, “I am not having this any longer,” he growled like a bear that was poked one too many times.

Syra sighed reached out and touched his arms, “Sebastian,” She told him, looking deep into his face, “I could handle this. I wasn’t telling you that you had to step in, I am just wondering if she is more trouble than it is worth.” Her frustration was evident, too. For some reason, the other woman didn’t think that she had any authority over her, whatsoever, and for some reason that bothered her – because it led to things getting left undone.

He smiled wryly at her, "well, now you can have that conversation with her," he spoke. "I wasn't going to step in, was only making it easier for you. I am this close to shoving her out the nearest airlock so it is better you handle it."
Syra grinned, “oh, can I help?” She asked, “you know, when I was an ensign I spent some time in engineering, there are ways we can make this happen extremely slowly and painfully?”

He laughed, "I knew there was a reason I liked having you around," he told her with a chuckle, "you're seriously twisted, I love it. But seriously - I've been thinking of demoting her - give her a slice of humble pie, as the humans put it."
“I’m not twisted,” she faked offense to that but the smile hadn’t left her face, “I’m not. But, seriously,” she pulled in a breath and shook her head, “she is running out of last straws. She is up there by now, we could just make her wait a while for once – while you finish your dinner?”

Sebastian growled in his throat and rubbed a hand over his ridged forehead. He wanted to tell her that Anya can wait until he was finished enjoying the beauty that was his XO but he said nothing he nodded his head, "she can wait," he stopped. He could only imagine the yelling happening in the brig right now. He didn't care - the woman was on his last damn nerves. She raked through the Klingon nerves a long time ago and was on her way out on the human one. That was why he was letting Syra deal with it. If he has to step in, bad things would happen.

“Good,” Syra grinned, “cause she seriously needs to cool it and I think the brig is a good spot for that - or I will let you have at it. I don’t think she realizes how lucky she is, at the moment. Anyway,” she told him, “back to Qo’noS – spot on the beach yes? Though come to think of it, it is the klingon homeworld and probably you won’t get away from red alerts?”

He watched her intently, still facing her with his back against the bulkhead - "probably," he told her. "But I would rather lay on the beach for a while, visit some friends - what would you do on QonoS? You could stay with me and some friends. I'm sure they wouldn't mind." He had come so close to asking her to stay with him. But he couldn't. She was his XO. He had to keep his hands off her... he moved his body so that he faced the table again and picked up his drink - he was suddenly over-heating.
“What would I do? I am not sure actually, they have those Opera’s there, but they are entirely too noisy for me.” Her heart was racing. She was trying to avoid what if this was any other person – what he had said could have meant, “sure,” she told him, “I’d love to. Probably I can get Rico to set us up a place on the beach, senior staff you know, your friends along. Hey, I hear we are getting a new girl …we should invite her there too you know – make her feel welcome?”

He turned his head and stared at her with a small smile gracing his face, "I like the the way you think." Sebastian nodded his head, "I will announce it to the crew as soon as we get close enough to Atira. But we're getting a new security officer. I hope she's a better person that the last mess we had," he sighed. "You know, I think the Silor is cursed?"

“Oh I couldn’t tell,” she rolled her eyes, “but I love it the same – and its partly your idea, silly, you were the one suggesting a group of us stay together?” She was rambling now. She knew. Syra sighed and set her head against the bulkhead. It was time to bring dinner to a close and she hated that, “there isn’t many stars on Qo’noS, having a full sky of them is rare. But maybe we can get lucky and arrive in the perfect night.”

"Maybe," Sebastian was inside his head again. He could feel their dinner ending and he felt as though his heart was breaking. "I shall see to getting a place on the beach," he told her. "You do not have to worry about that angle."

“Coffee,” She told him suddenly, she had to keep her eyes closed to not feel the intensity in the air. Syra moved from her spot at the table in order to keep herself together and her hands – and body – busy. But she couldn’t quite make herself to leave just yet, though she should. Instead of dashing for coffee she should be saying goodnight, going home, and going through her reports before climbing into bed. But instead Syra made her way to the replicator, “nice cup of coffee, before bed, you think?” She asked him. The last she needed was coffee. She knew she would never sleep. But she ordered it anyway. Taking the cup she looked back at him with a smile, “you? And oh, yes, if you get the place I will see about getting us some proper food, down there. I am supposing you will be eating with a fork, in front of the others, likely,” she smiled at him. She had some comfort in the thought that she was the one person he did let his guard down around just a bit, “don’t want to scare them entirely you know?”

"Right," he grinned boyishly. "But we both know that with coffe you'll never fall asleep. Planning on doing some late night reading?"

“Uh huh,” she sulked. Syra shook her head and stared out the nearest window, “reports and stuff. You know I don’t sleep well anyway, Sebastian. Or when I do,” she turned and started to walk back toward the table, “I usually drop dead for a day and no one can wake me up,” Syra shrugged and offered him a small smile, “probably that’s how I will spend our shore-leave, passed out somewhere in some – klingon hammock, tied between trees in the shade, yes?”

Sebastian nodded and pushed his plate away from him, "that isn't a bad idea either," he told her. "That is not a bad idea at all. I think I should probably see the doctor for something for this headache. I am just not looking forward to the lecture he will give me about resting."

She laughed softly when he said that. Syra did reach across the table, “you tell him,” she said, gripping his hands intently, “that we plan to. You tell him we have an entire plan worked out that includes sleeping on the beach…” she paused then, pulled back and started laughing harder, “oh, my,” she told herself. Syra touched her head and looked at him, “okay, well, maybe you better not tell him quite that. What I meant was..” she started laughing more, amused at herself, “maybe I should just forget the coffee and call it a night.” Syra struggled trying to get up from the bench again, "night Captain," she told him softly. Having dinner with him was always so much fun. She couldn't help how much he made her smile. A soft lump rose in her throat then, watching him in that bench, "I should get going," she said.
Sebastian nodded sheepishly, ashamed that he was sad to see her go, "good night, Syra. If you ever get to sleep, have pleasant dreams," he told her.

“Go, get something for that headache,” She told him, “and you too.” Syra headed for the door and it opened. She had to take a breath before waving back at him and stepping into the hall – it was always hard leaving, but it was well past time. The door closed behind her and the feel of his eyes on her back was gone. Pleasant dreams, he had said. She would try for that.

Sebastian watched her leave and almost felt like crying. Rules, rules, damn rules, he sighed and walked over to the replicator, "Coffee," he muttered. If he could get enough energy and pep, maybe his head would stop pounding like the drums of hell