Masques and Mateys - Part 4 (conclusion)
Posted on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 @ 6:03pm by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani
Mission:
Season 3: Episode 5: Shoreleave
Location: USS Elysium Holodeck
Timeline: Just before MD1 of "Know thyself"
1894 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure
Previously in Masques & Mateys
The governor bowed in turn. "It was a pleasure, my lady." His tone indicated otherwise.
"No, the pleasure was mine..." S'hib replied with a hint of honesty thrown into his otherwise dreary tone, as he stood up tall and rearranged his uncomfortable attire before marching off to find Miraj.
He got about six paces before his sharp ears caught the phrase "Brazen little thief!" come from the Governor, and then a cry of "Lady Margot!" Several of the Governor's foot men started to come towards him.
And now the conclusion
Ahead of him, Miraj started walking faster.
"Not now dear I'm busy!" S'hib called out as he gripped the mountains of fabric and began to run.
The footmen broke out into a full run. Behind them the governor shouted, "Stop that woman!"
"This way!" Miraj pointed at the end of the garden, keeping up with S'hib thanks to only being in breeches. The bottom of the gardens were marked with a low stone wall, and two floral arches marked benches.
But between them and the wall was party goers, footmen and guards.
Miraj dodged under the lunging arms of one footman, then tripped, skidded and managed to get to her feet before a second could grab her.
“I have the ring by the way, it you couldn't tell.” S’hib announced proudly to Miraj before smoothing the face of a footman with his giant hand, throwing him to one side as he stormed forward, refusing to be beaten despite his attire.
"Awesome!" Miraj dodged around an elderly woman in a huge dress. "Keep running!"
A gunshot sounded, silencing the ball as the shot pinged off the dirt beside S’hib.
“You didn't by any chance hide a weapon or two underneath all this nonsense I'm wearing did you?” He snorted anxiously as another round whizzed past, shattering the wine glass held by a perplexed guest that was trying to get out of the way.
"No. Why would I, we're going to a party?"
And then just as they were clearing the guests, a line of soldiers moved to cut them off, blocking the wall.
"Oh, arse," Miraj sighed.
“You’re the arse, making me run around in all this...” He grumbled before grabbing her arm and pulling her back into the guests. “But I have an idea...” He snorted as he pulled her away from the gun line and behind a wall of people they wouldn't dare shoot.
"I think you look very pretty." Miraj said. "Sir," she added with a look of pure impudence. She glanced to the soldiers. Their human shields were dispersing fast "What's the plan?"
"It's madam, you can call me Sir later..." S'hib quipped back with a toothy grin as they moved back inside the mansion, brushing past tables and across the dance floor, keeping as many bodies around them as possible.
"As for the plan, well... when I was upstairs on the balcony I saw a maze in the garden." He said as he hurried her along.
"The maze? Won't we get lost?"
"Probably!" S'hib laughed as he clicked up the staircase with Miraj, footmen chasing as others ran up the other side.
"Are you nuts? We'll lose." But she followed close to him, staying conveniently to the side of him that was away from the angry men with guns.
"Don't worry, we will have a headstart..." He grinned as he scooped Miraj up in his arms and jumped over the balcony in one fell swoop.
Miraj screamed with genuine fright, and her stomach seemed to try and escape through her head.
The ten or so feet fall whizzed past as his long unguligrade legs bent fully to cushion the fall, grinning madly at the sounds Miraj had made on the way down.
"Quickly now..." He said calmly as he raised to his full height, knowing it wouldn't be long before muskets where pointed over the balcony
"I'm going to be sick!" Miraj protested weakly as he set her down. she stumbled off towards the box hedge. "crazy biscuit eater she muttered. Behind them, hobnailed boots could be heard pounding up the balcony.
"I heard that," He frowned, though still smiling as he waited for her to follow him inside. "Now hurry up, you're about to be shot at."
"What?" she squealed, dashing forward just as the first shot barked from a rifle on the stairs.
"Right, on you get then," S'hib sighed, rolling his eyes as he knelt down and patted his shoulder, the layers upon layers of fabric spreading out around him like a giant puddle of colour. "You're going to tell me which way to go."
"Where *are* we going?" Miraj swung one leg then another over his broad shoulder, trying not to grab onto anything else. The high edges may shield him from view, but if she could see to navigate, the angrey men with guns could also see her.
“The other end, there's a central square and another way in on the far side, you need to guide me there,” He said as he quickly stood up, lifting her head and shoulders over the top of the lush green hedges. “Now, left or right?” S’hib added, tilting his head up heigh to glance up at Miraj.
Even under fire, navigation - even of a hedge maze - was so instinctive she was quickly callling out the turns. "left...right....right... second left, straight, straight, left, now right!"
The red coats on the staris were still taking aim, and only their quick moment and changes of direction were keeping her from catching a bullet. Other redcoats were now running for the entrance behind them.
Miraj looked at them running in. Some immediately went wrong, but not all. "um, can we go faster?"
"We can, but you'll have to hold my mane as I'll need to pull up this sodding dress." S'hib scoffed as he quickly turned another corner, letting go of her legs and grabbing hold of as much fabric as he could.
Not liking that one bit, she grabbed his mane between his ears with both hands and, for a second, regretted inviting him to play.
“Oh and Ensign, don’t mention this to anyone.” He snorted as his hooves dug into the dirt, propelling him into a gentle canter as they sped around the maze.
She squeezed her legs tight around his shoulders. There was no way she was mentioning this. If she didn't get thrown off, she was going to get serious bruising on the bum. His shoulders were surprisingly bony.
A volley of shots tore leaves from the balcony, and she crouched low over his ears. "Left then second right!" She risked a glance back. Some of the guards obviously knew their way through. "They're getting closer!"
"Worry about telling me directions!" S'hib snorted as he hurried around the corners, the mountain of fabric in his grip snagging on the finely pruned hedges as he did so. "How much further is it?!" He said, huffing hot air onto her knees.
"Not far." She glanced at the maze again. "Right, sharp left, second left, right, second right, left again then a straight run."
"Right... second right, I see it!" S'hib neighed excitedly as he took off into a full blown sprint, making Miraj thump about on his shoulders with every hoof that landed.
The short distance to the exit took mere moments as he ducked low under the marble archway, quickly hurrying himself down to the ground so she could get off, the shouts of guards also finding the exit not far behind.
But it wasn't the ones who went through the maze that were the problem. More had gone round the outside. "Stop!" Shouted the governor, pushing through. "Take another step and ill have you shot!"
Miraj backed up a step. The otherside of the maze was perilously close to the cliffs that plunged down to the rich blue seas of the Caribbean. "You wouldn't shoot a lady?" She challenged, taking another step back towards the edge.
"You know I'm noticing a bit of a pattern here..." S'hib exclaimed to Miraj as he curtsied, hiding the fact he had stepped back as he did so. "Gentlemen, It's been fun but we really must be going..." He smiled, taking another step back and falling over the edge of the wall, grabbing Miraj by the scruff of her clothing as he did so.
This time, Miraj's scream was thrilled. The plummeted down the sheer face, three seconds of exhilarating free fall, until they splashed into the water below. Miraj broke the surface after a second, treading water as S'hib came up, his skirts spreading out around him.
Out of the air came a triumphant fanfare. "Yes!" Miraj punched the air. "Chapter won! Save and End!"
The Caribbean disappeared, and they stumbled a bit as the simulation dropped them back to the ground, and they went from soaked to dry in a blink.
“Right, get me out of this...” S’hib panted, feeling a wave of heat boiling up to the surface of his skin.
"Hold still." Miraj unpinned the bodice so he could shrug out of the gown, revealing a soaked shift and damp stays. He was soggy to the touch.
“I think I need to lie down...” He said with an exasperated sigh, thick white foam running down his chest and shoulders from
where Miraj had sat, squeezing the oily sweat out from his coat.
Trying not to touch him, the young hybrid unfastened the stays. "Is this... normal for your species?" There was foam built along the edges of the straps. It was super gross.
“What? sweating?” He asked, genuinely confused as he hurried what clothing he could off his overheating body.
"That's sweat?" Miraj gingerly touched the flecks of foam. "It looks like you rolled in a coolant spill."
“My kind produce a protein in our sweat that helps it spread over our coats, it also helps cool us down by expanding the surface area and increasing evaporation... which is one the reasons why we don’t wear clothes on Sequella, it’s far too warm for them.” He sighed, knowing he would need a lengthy sonic shower after all this.
“Sorry about the clothes...” He grimaced, the fabric appearing more in the midst of being washed than anything else, oily foam sticking to ever crease that had been bound tightly to his body.
She looked down at the pile of ruined cloth, and sighed. "Just as well they're replicated. And it's not as if they'll fit me."
"Well, next time you can wear all this... that way I'll get to see your prance about instead." He teased while putting a hand on top of her head, gently ruffling up her candy pink locks with a loud snort.
Miraj laughed. "No more balls in this book, Sir. We're both safe. Just swashbuckling, and acts of piracy."
"Ah, well we shall see..." He replied firmly as he made a motion for her to turn around with his finger. "Because," He said as Miraj turned, leaned down to whisper just behind her head. "I'm going to get you back for this..." S'hib concluded with a deep rumbling tone as the last of the clothing fell to his hooves.
[OFF]
