Zombies & Mai Tai's

Posted on Tue Jul 20th, 2021 @ 8:30am by Lieutenant Vira Vemre [Whavi] & Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford
Edited on on Tue Jul 20th, 2021 @ 12:54pm

Mission: Season 5: Episode 2: Operation Save Humanity
Location: Ten Forward
Timeline: MD 4 1900
3131 words - 6.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Punctuality was not something Ensign Vemre was a fan of. Especially when it came to meeting up with someone. She detested waiting, she wasn't impatient by any means, the waiting just gave her anxiety she had trouble navigating. So there for she made it a point to never be on time. As she strolled down the corridor towards ten forward she caught the time on a consul in the hallway. Exactly 1900. Why hadn't she taken her time getting ready? Vira cursed herself as she approached the doors. They opened with a swoosh as a couple of crew members were exiting. 'Too late now.' she thought as she entered, her hazel eyes scanning the room's occupants for the security officer with the cute accent.

Being the son of a Starfleet Officer, Damien had had punctuality drilled into him from an early age. Which meant that he had grown up with the Ethos of 'Early is on time. On-time is late, and late is super late.' He had grown out of it slightly during his time at the Academy, but he still usually ended up being early to most engagements.

So it was, come five minutes to the hour, he was sat at a table, a small glass of Rum and Coke sat in front of him, looking up at the door every time it opened, hoping to see Vira. It wasn't until he'd been getting ready in his quarters, replaying the conversations in his head, that he'd realized he'd referred to their drink tonight as a date, and now was internally freaking out. Would she be expecting something more than a drink? Was this actually a date? Or just two colleagues meeting for a drink? She hadn't said anything to the contrary when he'd said it earlier. Did she think it was a date? Or had she just not wanted to embarrass him by correcting him.

Before he could think anything more on the matter though, the doors opened again, and he saw her walking in. Smiling at her, he raised a hand in greeting, waving her over.

It wasn't hard to find him in the crowd. Even before he waved her over to his table Vira had instantly spotted him the moment the doors had opened. The risian schooled her expression into a smug one as she approached his table, cursing her legs for not moving at a slower pace. Why was she nervous? She had no reason to be. This was just a couple of coworkers meeting for a drink. This wasn't a date...was it?

V's confidence should have been sky high now that she was out of that blasted uniform. Exposing skin was redundant in space, it was so cold no matter how long she spent aboard a starship, her risian blood never got used to it. But that hadn't stopped her from wearing low cut pants and a cropped forest green long sleeved sweater. The color combination giving her skin an even warmer glow and bringing out the green in her hazel eyes.

"Looks like someone started without me." She teased as she sat down across from him.

Damien smiled as she came over, sitting up a little bit straighter. He hadn't gone too crazy in getting ready tonight. He opted for a simple button-down, dark blue shirt, with the top two buttons left open and dark blue jeans, having slightly styled his hair, giving it a simple side part, fixing it in place with a little bit of hair gel.

As she sat down, his eyes couldn't help but quickly look over her. The uniforms weren't exactly form-fitting, so one could be excused for not paying much attention. He quickly pulled his eyes away though, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, hoping she hadn't noticed him looking at her.

"Yeah, well. I got thirsty waiting for you." He said, grinning at her. "But now that you're here, what would you like?"

“Oh was someone waiting a long time? A little over zealous in your punctuality there lovey?”

Vira leaned back and wrapped her arms around the back of the chair, folding her hands together. She had noticed the way Damien looked her over but choose to not tease him for it, rather make it more difficult for him to keep his eyes on hers. Leaned back the way she was her entire midriff was exposed. “I’ll let you surprise me.”

He just rolled his eyes at her, smirking. "Early is on time. On-time is late." He said, teasingly, before chuckling. "Good lord. I sound like my father." He said, laughing. When she leaned back, Damien found his eyes drifting down again, before quickly looking back up. "One mystery drink, coming up." He said, before heading over to the bar, returning soon after.

Placing the drink in front of her, he said, "Asked the bartender to surprise me. He came back with this. A Zombie. Enjoy."

Squinting at the drink Vira leaned forward to examine it, "What in all the stars is a 'zombie'?" She furrowed her brows.

He chuckled, pushing it towards her. "Apricot brandy, lime juice, pineapple juice, white rum, dark rum and golden rum. It tastes better than the name suggests."

Vira was hesitant but accepted the drink and pulled the small straw to her lips to take a sip. The drink was fruitier then she expected, a few flavors she recognized. "Okay maybe I like this 'zombie' drink." Smiling she added, "How was the remainder of your shift? Boring after I left huh?"

Damien chuckled, taking another sip of his own drink. "Glad you approve." Shrugging, he leant back in his chair. "Very boring. The time would have passed a lot quicker if I'd had someone to keep me entertained. What about you? How was yours?"

Laughing she said, "Keep you entertained? Sounds like you need a jester!" Vira took another sip before continuing, "Lieutenant Whavi was not pleased that I failed to report the schedule glitch at the beginning of the shift. Still have no idea how I ended up in a security officers spot but." Vira shrugged, she had no regrets about her time spent with Damien.

"Hmm? My own personal jester? Now that sounds like it could be fun. Maybe I'll cash that in for my favour." He chuckled, winking at her, before taking another sip of his drink. "What was the rest of your shift spent doing?" He asked. "Something boring no doubt. Although, I feel like you could make even the most boring job in the world interesting, somehow."

Vira sighed, "I ran tests on all the circuits in a rarely used transporter room. Boring preventative maintenance." She stuck out her tongue but laughed as she continued. "It wasn't all that bad to be honest, kept my hands busy. And you would cash in your favor so soon!? Just to keep me around I take it." She ended smugly.

"Wow. So interesting." He rolled his eyes, the sarcasm obvious in his voice, as he quickly tilted his glass, downing the rest of his drink quickly, the alcohol sending a sudden burst of warmth into his body. "If it kept you around, I'd cash in all my favours." He said, smiling warmly at her.

Giving him a suspicious look Vira picked up her glass and sipped it, never dropping eye contact as she said, "Are you flirting with me Blackford?"

Damien looked back at her, opening his mouth in surprise slightly. Was he flirting? He'd not had much experience in that avenue of life, so he honestly couldn't tell. "And what if I am?" He replied, raising an eyebrow at her, leaning back in his chair, keeping eye contact, feeling his heart rate start to increase slightly.

With the grace of a lion Vira slowly stood, towering over the table for seconds before leaning across it. Her motive was a mystery and Vira enjoyed the look her actions reflected on Damien's face. Gently she wrapped her fingers around the now empty glass in Damien's hand. "Looks like you need a refill." She said by way of avoiding his question.

Damien watched as she stood, keeping eye contact with her the whole time, feeling his throat constrict slightly as she stood over him, unsure what was happening. When she took his drink, their fingers brushed, and he instinctively pulled his hand back, letting her take the glass. "Looks like I do. I'll let you surprise me."

Vira nodded then turned, her face fell slightly as soon as it was out of Damiens sight. She had caught the way he pulled back when she grabbed his glass, his reaction to her being close wasn’t what she had expected. Maybe she had gone too far she told herself.

When she reached the bar her smile was back as she addressed the barkeep and ordered Damien her favorite drink. Returning to the table, she set down the orange cocktail decorated with fruit in front of Damien. “Risian Mai-Tai. My favorite drink, though I’m certain I make them far better then they are made here.” She said as she took her seat.

When she walked away, Damien let out the shaky breath that he'd been holding in. He hadn't meant to react the way he did. He just wasn't used to these types of situations. He hoped he hadn't blown it. Although, was he even in danger of blowing anything. Was he imagining something that wasn't even happening?

By the time she returned, he had managed to put a smile back on his face, taking the drink from her, taking a sip, nodding as he did. "That's good. If it tastes like that here, I look forward to seeing how yours taste. You'll have to show me sometime. In fact, I'll make you a deal. You make me a Mai-Tai, I'll cook you my famous chicken curry."

"You cook?" She asked, surprise coloring her voice. "I thought everyone just used replicators?" One thing Vira missed most about home was the food, the smells that come from the kitchen as meals were prepared, the fresh fruit plucked right from the plants.

He chuckled nodding. "I try to avoid using the replicators where I can. If it's been a busy shift, or I'm just not feeling up to it, I'll use it, but most nights I prefer to cook. Replicated food just doesn't have the same taste to it."

Vira laughed warmly, "I thought I was just being high maintenance! Though I'm not a very good cook, drinks I can do. I mastered those when I was 14 but food I always manage to....burn?"

He grinned slightly as he sipped his drink. "With my dad away on deployment so much, mum and I tended to spend a lot of time together. Cooking was something that bonded us. That, and our love of theatre."

"Theatre? Like shows with actors?" Vira asked as she tilted her head in curiosity. "We have similar events on Risa, mostly with songs and dancers performed for visitors."

He nodded. "Yeah. Like that. My mum got me into quite early. She's a drama teacher at a secondary school back on Earth, so when she was busy with shows, I used to get dragged along rather than being left at home. When I got older, I even performed in a few myself." He smiled as he took another sip.

"You're a performer?!" Vira gave Damian a disbelieving look, almost forgetting the beverage that sat before her. The risian had a hard time picturing him on stage dancing and moving to the music as her people did. He seemed so shy...but clearly she was mistaken. "You're going to have to prove it to me." She added with a shrug, bringing her drink to her lips smiling over it as she waited for Damien's response.

Damien chuckled, raising an eyebrow at her. "I'll have you know I'm a very capable singer." He said, raising the drink to his lips, coughing slightly as he heard her words. "Prove it? Right now?" He asked, smirking at her. He hadn't sung in a few years, but he could always be persuaded.

"No. Not now. It can be part of our deal. Dinner, drinks, singing. Could even call it a date. If you wanted." Vira immediately adverted her eyes. What was she doing? Damien clearly wasn't into her like that, it was evident after the way he backed away earlier. She wished she could take back the word.

Damien smiled at her, letting the silence hang between them for a few seconds. So he hadn't been imagining things after all. "A date?" He repeated. "I'd like that." He said, smiling at her.

The risians eyes widened in surprise as their direction shot back up to meet Damien's. "Okay." The eagerness and excitement swirling in her stomach made it difficult to stay still, she knew it was only moments before she started to fidget. Where was her courage? She wasn't usually raddled so easily! In an attempt to hide the grin she wore she picked up her drink and took a large gulp. "I have to admit it looks like I have the far better end of this deal."

"Okay." He repeated, unable to wipe the smile off of his face, covering it by taking a sip of his drink, before raising an eyebrow at her. "Oh really?" He questioned. "And how do you figure that?"

Vira smiled, "I'm getting a quarter cooked meal AND your going to sing for me. While I'm just making you a mai tai." She held her hands up in defense, "I'm in no way complaining!"

"True, it seems that way. However, whilst all you're making me is a mai-tai, I am also getting the pleasure of your company. I think that's worth a meal and a song."

All the risian could do was smile, such simple words from this male and she was rendered speechless. A shyness was slowly creeping its way though her, something Vira had little to no experience in handling. There was a light heat in her cheeks and she found it difficult to maintain eye contact, looking down at her glass instead.

"Tell me more about your mom." She finally managed, she keeping her hazel eyes diverted.

"My mum?" He asked. "Erm, what is there to say. She's one of the best people in my life. My dad was on deployment a lot, so when he was away, she had to raise me herself. Not to say that my dad didn't do his fair share as well. But it's hard to parent a child when you're in a completely different system." He chuckled softly, before continuing.

"Not only was she raising me, but her job has her teaching hundreds of kids, and she always had a friendly ear for any of them that needed someone to talk to. She was an amazing performer as well. When she starts singing, it's captivating. Everyone in the room stops what they're doing to watch her." He smiled softly, before looking at her. "What about your parents? What are they like?"

Vira shrugged, "My moms are very different, but they fell in love first. They met when they were in their twenty's through a mutual friend. Veya, my birth mother, is extremely motivated and the best hostess. Whether it be at the resort or in our own home, she aims to please everyone and ensure they all have a good time. That being said she was almost never home, you could call her a workaholic? Mira is the opposite. She often took days off at a time to take me on adventures through the mountains and all the different lagoons. I spent the most time with her growing up, she taught me a lot of what I know."

Vira paused before proceeding about her father. It was him she missed most. Her throat felt dry suddenly just thinking about him. She took a sip of her drink, nearly finished with it now. "My father oversees a few different resorts on Risa. He traveled alot and spent alot of time away from home but he loves what he does. He fretted the most about me leaving and joining Starfleet. He much would of rather me follow in his footsteps, I just found them a bit too big to fill." She ended on a sad note, finally taking the remaining sip of her beverage.

He smiled, watching her closely as she spoke. "They sound amazing." He said softly. When she started talking about her father, he could sense the small change in her voice. It was a feeling that he himself knew all too well. He missed his father terribly every time he'd been sent away. He shifted in his seat slightly, his hands clenching on the glass before he finally decided to just go for it.

Reaching over, he gently lay his hand over hers. "I know how you feel." He said softly. I think part of the reason I decided to go into Security, and not Medical, like my father, is that I was worried about people holding me to his expectations. He's an amazing doctor, one of the best, and I was worried about disappointing people. Disappointing him."

Vira was shocked when his hands overlapped hers. Freezing her into place as she listened to him explain his reasons for choosing the career he did. Then when he stopped, she said in a voice just above a whisper, "I don't think you could disappoint anyone."

He smiled softly. "You're very kind for saying so." He said softly, looking up, catching her eye, this time not wanting to break the eye contact. "You have nice eyes. Very kind." He said, his voice barely audible, except to her.

The Risian blinked but never looked away, her face taking on a serious expression as she replied. "You have a nice voice." Vira was very aware of his hand that still sat atop of hers and how warm it was.

Damien bit his lip, feeling his heart flutter slightly as he found himself moving closer towards her, his other hand moving up to cup hers. "Just wait till you hear me sing." He said, smiling softly at. "You're very beautiful, you know."

Her eyes darkened a bit. "Oh, am I?"

He smirked at her, unable to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes. Yes, you are."

Vira smiled down at their hands, slowly repositioning hers so that she could lace her fingers though his. Her eyes bounced up just once to meet his before shyly returning back down to their joined hands. This day being filled with a number of unexpected events, but this one being by far her favorite.