Masques and Mateys - Part 1

Posted on Sat Sep 26th, 2020 @ 4:35am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: Season 3: Episode 5: Shoreleave
Location: Elysium Holodeck
Timeline: Just before MD1 of "Know thyself"
1263 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON]

The message to S'hib was short and sweet. The new Bloodbeard is in! Don't worry about costume, I have you all sorted. And I promise no stealth. Just say when - M

Which was why Miraj was standing in front of Holodeck three in the britches and waistcoat he'd seen her in before, but practically hidden beneath the piles of fabric she held, an apparently endless tangle of turquoise and yellow and white and pink. "I'm looking forward to this. I've already done chapter one and I know it's going to be awesome!"

"Are you now..." S'hib grumbled, looking at the mass of fabric in her arms. "Are you sure it has nothing to do with what you're going to make me wear this time?" He asked sceptically, moving his head far to one side and squinting an eye in her direction.

She looked at him with wide blue eyes. "No," she lied quite brazenly. "Nothing at all. Chicken?"

S'hib simply snorted, throwing his head up and over in an arch, coming back down with both his eyes focused on hers. "Let's get this over with then..." He grumbled, extending his arms out for the mass of clothing.

Miraj laughed and entered the holodeck. "No stealth this time." She laid out the shift on the floor, "then this," she dropped the stays next to it. "and this... and this... and this..." More strange creations hit the floor. A pair of pockets on strings what looked like a small draft excluder with tapes sewn to the ends. a puddle of cloth in white, then another one in yellow, and another in turquoise, and a triangular piece of yellow, densely embroidered in electric pink, more turquoise, and then finally, a pile of jewellery topped with a feather, and a domino mask made from black lace.

Miraj rubbed her hands. "You will look fabulous."

"This looks oddly specific... Miraj is this even clothing? it looks like a bedsheet." he whined while running a hand under his chin in confusion.

"It's definitely clothing. Its plot relevant, trust me. I wore something similar down on earth, and I was fine."

"After what happened on earth that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence..." S'hib sighed as he looked at Miraj, rolling his eyes as she batted hers at him. "Fine, fine... I'll wear the bedding." he grumbled, moving his hands up to his uniform collar.

Miraj gave him a little excited round of applause and turned her back on him. "When you've put on everything as far as the white petticoat, let me know, and I'll lace you up."

"Miraj..." He said slowly, a hint of questioning her in his voice. "My knowledge of clothing is far more limited than you give me credit for... I have no idea what I'm supposed to be putting on first." He said with deep folds on his brow forming, slowly unclipping the invisible seams in his uniform as his eyes moved from one item to the next.

"Just go in the order I showed you. Over the head. Laces at the back." She could hear him unzipping and she wasn't going to turn around now.

"You'll be delighted to know I took precautions..." S'hib said aloud as he dropped his uniform onto the floor. "I had a feeling something like this might happen." He sighed, clicking over to what he thought was the first item while now only wearing a small linen wrap around his waist.

"Precautions?" She asked, curious.

"You can turn around..." S'hib smiled to himself, kneeling somewhat to grab the first item of clothing.

She peeked over her shoulder, and looked away again, already going pink. "Well. Underwear is good I suppose. Still doesn't feel right to look. I mean. Its underwear. No-ones supposed to see it, and I don't want to get kicked out an airlock by an angry marine for catching you in your drawers."

"I should really take you to Sequella... though, I fear you may blend in with the sand too well." S'hib grinned as he raised the first pile of cloth over his long neck.

"Hmmm. If everyone runs around with no clothes on, I may want to. I wouldn't dare take my eyes off it for a start."

"It? I do hope you're talking about the sand..." S'hib sniggered, hiding his amusement beneath the cloth of the next item.

The pink got pinker. "Yes I meant the sand," she mumbled. "Are you in the petticoats yet?"

"You say that like I know what that is..." He huffed, struggling to fit his long head through what he hoped was the right hole.

She risked a peek over her shoulder. "Thats it." She came over and tugged it down to his waist. "Okay, brace yourself." Before he had a chance, she hauled on the lacing at the back of the stays, and was tightening it up. Stays weren't supposed to be used to change shape, but she wanted some petty revenge for the teasing. "Can you still breath?"

S'hib simply wheezed in response as his large lungs were suddenly denied any space. "Are you sure, the safeties are on..." He snorted with wide eyes.

"Absolutely. And properly calibrated. For both of us." She added archly, remembering how last time the safeties had been recalibrated for Sequus tolerances, and not hybrid human-boslic ones.

She picked up the yellow petticoat, and threw that over his head. "Okay. So, all the exposition you missed from chapter one. Bloodbeard's first mate, Mr Sabatini, got his girl in the family way, and wants to do right by her. To do that he needs three things." She adusted the underskirt in place and knotted it closed.

"A priest, a pension, and a pardon. The Priest is in Havana, no problems there. And they're planning on taking a gold ship prize, to give him a good pension when they make shares. Which leaves the pardon. That's our job." She picked up the gown and helped his arms into his sleeves. The acres of frilled turqoise silk satin seemed to go on forever, and the whole thing was covered in ruffles and bows. "With me so far?"

"Not really, half the words you're saying I've never heard before... but do continue." S'hib replied, flinching every so often as Miraj tightened the clothing around his slender Sequus frame.

"Its not really important." Miraj pinned the bright pink stomacher panel over the stays, and tied the two sides of the gown over it in pretty little bows. "Our bit is the Pardon. The Governor of Jamaica has some already with the Kings Seal attached. All the governor does is add the names of whoever he is pardoning, sign his on the bottom, and affix his seal. His seal is on his ring. He's having a big party at his mansion. To which you have an invite. I, posing as your footman, or pageboy, will sneak away from the party, and steal a pardon. You, at the party, will have to find the governor, and steal the ring off his finger. No stealth involved."

"Wait..." S'hib asked while spinning around, the mass of flamboyant cloth lagging behind as he stood there in silence for a long moment. "I'm playing as a woman arent I!" He exclaimed suddenly, the universal translator struggling to mask the loud squealing neigh of his native tongue.

Miraj's grin was bright as a supernova and just as large. She held up the lace mask. "Lieutenant, you shall go to the ball!"


To be Continued....

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