An Aside (JP)

Posted on Tue Oct 23rd, 2018 @ 12:34am by Lieutenant Commander Matias Grronkil & Captain Gary Taylor

Mission: Season 2: Mission 2.A: R&R
Location: Mess Hall?
803 words - 1.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Matias was weary after a long day in Engineering. He had also had a weary time with his beloved Liselle. She kept trying to push him away, but he felt something different about her, that she would be disappointed if he did as she asked. What to do? He ordered a rum and coke and sat at a table,
drumming his fingers.

Gary entered the mess hall he just wanted a sandwich, something quick. He didn't want to spend anymore time alone in his apartment. Lia was gone. It didn't appear she would be coming back. He was alone. He looked around and saw Matias sitting alone at a table and looking positively miserable. "Mr. Matias, do you mind if I join you?"

Matias got up and nodded to Gary. "Please do, I could use some company, sir," he said.

Gary waved him back down, sitting down himself with a sandwich and a drink of his own. Looking at the male wolf, "You sound decidedly unhappy. What's wrong?"

Matias sat down, took a sip of his drink, and sighed. "It's Liselle," he said. "I don't think I'm making any headway with her. She means everything to me, but she keeps pushing me away. Then she says she needs me. Sometimes it makes me feel like I shouldn't have left my home galaxy."

Gary suspected as much. "I see." He replied and fell silent. Matias wasn't just a fellow officer he was a friend. "Mr. Matias, I understand how you feel. Have you thought that perhaps you and Liselle aren't meant to be together?" He asked softly, feeling his friend out to see the depth of his feelings.

"I thought about that, thought about just walking away and looking elsewhere, but when I try, I keep bouncing back. She's got the lowest self-esteem of any I have ever met. But she is...so...delightful, so beautiful, so perfect. She doesn't know it, she keeps denying it, but I love her so deeply that I'd wait a lifetime for her. I'd catch her up in my arms and kiss all her sadness away if she'd let me." He wiped a tear away as he said that. "Ive not shed tears over anybody else, not even for my lost mate."

Gary listened as Matias poured his heart out in describing his feelings for Liselle. He could identify with the feelings as he felt the same way about Lia but Lia was gone and there was no justice in the universe. "Mr. Matias, I hear you, so I'm going to give you some advice. Continue to give Liselle space. Don't avoid her, talk to her but don't press her. What she needs is a friend not a lover or potential lover. Be available to talk to her if she wants to talk. Right now the most important thing you can do for her and yourself is give her time." He put a hand on Matias shoulder, " Be strong for both of you. If it is meant to work it will." He finished he hoped Matias would take the advice, he would sleep better if he did.

Matias chuckled. "Great minds think alike, it seems," he said. "That's what I was thinking, to give her space for a while. How about you? You looked just as miserable as me."

Gary nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm hanging in there Mr. Matias. Lia is gone. Doesn't look like she'll be back and it hurts. Feels like I have a hole in my heart." Then he smiled, "But life goes on and so do I.''

"You know I'm a friend who is there for you," said Matias. He stood up and spread his arms wide. "It looks like you need a big hug. It is the Grral way. So I was comforted by my frriends when my wife died."

Gary smiled at the big wolf. He was genuinely touched by Matias's support. "Who am I to stand in the way of Grral tradition." Gary replied as he stood up and opened his arms to return the gesture to Matias.

Matias stepped forward and enfolded Gary in an embrace. Usually, with Grrals, it was an empathic connection which helped share the sorrow of another. He didn't know if it worked that way with a human, but a hug is a hug.

Gary after the briefest of hesitations returned the hug. It didn't make his emptiness at Lia being gone go away but he did feel better. "Thank you my friend." He told Matias, "Thank you very much."

"My pleasure, sir," said Matias. He broke off the hug, he felt better as well. He sensed it went well, and there was a mutual feeling of well-being.


Lt. Commander Matias Grronkil
Chief Engineer
USS Elysium

Commander Gary Taylor
Executive Officer
USS Elysium