Second Dates?

Posted on Tue Dec 18th, 2018 @ 8:48am by Lieutenant JG Gallia Norris

Mission: Season 2: Episode 3: Determination is not always a good thing
Location: Base Camp
2023 words - 4 OF Standard Post Measure

They had all come together in their shared tent after finishing their day’s work, just a group of women relaxing. Sami Justice laughed at Liorga’s joke about the Rabbi and the Bear as she trimmed Gallia’s hair, maybe the girliest thing she’d ever done in any of their presence.

“So the Rabbi tells the Priest and the Minister, ‘You think that’s tough? Wait until you try to circumcise one of those things!” Liorga delivered the punchline, making the others quake with laughter.

“Oh, wow….” Sami said, pausing for a second, “That’s a good one, Li.”

“Right?” Gallia added, checking her hair in the mirror, “Well, ya certainly do good work, Sami. I didnae know you did anything so…. Li, help me out, darlin’, what’s the word I’m lookin’ for?”

“Girly?” Liorga shrugged, she’d always known Sami as a slightly soft edged butch girl, but her cosmetological skills were a surprise even to her mentor.

“Hey, I’m a girl!” Sami protested, “Maybe not as pretty as either of you, and I could stand to tone up a little…”

“Tone up?” Gallia laughed, “Girl, I can grate cheese on them abs of yours.”

“Forget it, Gallia.” Liorga shook her head, she knew Sami better than their boss did, “Sami will never look good enough to Sami.”

“It’s not even that. Well, not really anyway.” She finished and ran a brush through Gallia’s hair, “There, perfect.”

“Thanks, Sami.” Gallia smiled, handing the younger woman, likely the only one younger than her in this group, a handful of chocolate candies, “Because I always tip my hairdresser well.”

“The woman knows my weakness.” Sami smiled, though she immediately split the booty with Liorga, reminding herself about the moment on the lips and the lifetime on the hips.

“I suppose that’s most people’s weakness”, Anya grinned as she joined the group. “The only people I know who don’t like chocolate are allergic to it.” She quickly stole a piece from Sami’s stack.

“Help yourself.” Sami offered, Anya could have anything she wanted as far as Sami was concerned, “Wingus and Dingus here are just surprised that I do ‘girly’ things.”

“Well, ya are Muscles Magee over there.” Gallia laughed, “Kinda hard to picture arms like that doin’ such delicate work so well.”

“Hey, softness and strength isn’t a bad combination.” Liorga offered, worried Sami might feel herself being made fun of, “Right, Anya?”

“I’ll say”, she agreed. “Brute strength without finesse is useless in most situations. And certainly not attractive.”

“Well, I try not to be brutish.” Sami smiled, “And Gallia is only teasing, she doesn’t mean any harm.”

“She’s a right whiz with the scissors.” Gallia complimented, showing her hair off to Anya, “I was just sayin’ it was unexpected was all.”

“I grew up in a house with four brothers, and a mom and dad far too busy with the deli to handle grooming chores.” Sami shrugged, “And with money far too tight to afford to send four teenage boys to the barber every month. We all had to pull our weight, that was just my job. Well, one of them, anyway….”

“What’s it like, having to earn money, and calculate what you can afford?” Anya asked, naive on the subject because, having grown up on starbases and starships, that had never been an issue. Starfleet provided.

“It’s not easy.” Sami replied, “I cut my brothers and dad’s hair, I did laundry, cut meat in the deli, guess we didn’t have a lot but we didn’t seem to notice, guess it was the same for everybody though, right?”

“I know the feeling.” Liorga nodded, she had probably been poorer than any of them, if anyone understood it was her. Anya, however, clearly didn’t understand, “You never had to worry about that, Anya?”

She shook her head. “Starfleet life is all I know, with the exception of a short holiday every now and then. I suppose, if it weren’t for the fighting I do, I’d be accused of never having left my comfort zone.”

“I enlisted for something better.” Sami said, “My daddy’s still not fully forgiven me for leaving the deli. I’m the first person in my family since my Grandfather’s brother to leave Florida, first of my branch of the family to leave St. Pete…”

“From the looks of things, you’ve made the right decision”, Anya smiled. “But I do wonder, why do they stay if their life isn’t as easy as it could be somewhere else?”

“My brothers are doing good for themselves.” Sami replied quickly, “Got one on St. Pete PD, another with the Fire Department, one who’s a celebrity chef, and the other in college. We’re all within three years of each other….”

“That’s crazy.” Gallia gasped, “Five kids within three years of each other? My brother Charles is eight, nearly nine years older, my sister is four…. was four years older.”

Liorga reached over and placed a hand on Gallia’s shoulder, she knew how much the loss of her sister affected her still; it also made her understand why she’d latched onto Estelle so hard, Dolana was gone forever, Estelle was the only ‘sister’ that poor child had left.

“My parents never got around to having another”, Anya said. “I suppose a large family more than makes up for it, if one gets along?” She went to the replicator and grabbed a large glass of synthale. “I’m glad I’ve got a room mate who isn’t as infuriatingly disorderly as the last one I got saddled with.” She grinned at Liorga.

“You just like me because I spend so much time at Estelle’s place now.” Liorga laughed.

“I sleep with three other crewmen.” Sami replied, “I think I win the crappy living situation contest.”

“Three? That’s a decent arrangement”, Anya teased. “I’m happy if I manage to keep one relationship going at any given time. But then, you’ve got energy to spare, haven’t you?”

Sami laughed, Anya didn’t understand or was messing with her for humor’s sake, “Not in that way, Anya.” Sami corrected her, “I share a small room with three other female crewmen, in fact, I’ve got a top bunk.”

“I know. I was a crewman once, you know?” Anya laughed.

“Hey, in her defense it’s not that way on some of the smaller ships.” Liorga interjected, “I was on an Oberth once, everybody had a private room, even the lowliest crewman.”

“There’s a crew of like twelve on an Oberth though.” Gallia laughed.

“So throw a deli in the bottom and you’ve got my house.” Sami added, “Well, throw a deli in the bottom and knock out the air conditioner about half the time….”

“An Oberth is a flying science lab”, Anya grinned. “Boring post for someone like me. Smallest I’ve ever served on was a Sabre class. Wasn’t too bad, we mostly received escort assignments, and did distress call responses and interdictions. Exciting times, even if I did end up transferring just so I could get away from that blasted counsellor...”

“Well, looks like we’re gonna have somethin’ similar here.” Gallia began, “Since you’re here, I presume you’re bunkin’ with us. The four of us and four more, I believe.”

“Seems like it’s going to be cozy.” Liorga sighed, though she sincerely hoped Estelle was going to be there, she’d gotten used to having the curvy blonde around.

“Well, it’s not so bad.” Sami said, moving quickly, “There’s a good bunk right here, next to mine. Relatively cool part of the shelter.”

“Are we agreed that whoever snores has to beam back up to the ship?” Anya asked.

“So all I gotta do to get back to my child and girlfriend is snore?” Gallia raised an eyebrow, “Damn my delicate nasal passages…”

“Anyway, could you two give us a second, please?” Sami asked, her eyes telling them both she needed a little privacy.

“Right, right.” Gallia said, “I need to wash all the little hairs off of myself anyway.”

“And I should figure out what we’re eating.” Liorga said, exiting towards the front of the shelter as Gallia went to the rear.

“And you’re going to try to persuade the doctor to join us?” Anya grinned into the ale she was drinking.

“That’s the plan.” Liorga replied, walking out and laughing, “Smartass.”

“Ok, so, umm, now it’s just us.” Sami began, very nervous, “I wanted to ask you about something, you know? I mean, it’s nothing like super big or anything but still….”

Anya sat down on the cot next to Sami and put her arm around the girl. “Ask away.”

“Umm, okay, yeah.” Sami stammered, “So, the Captain is hosting a party. For Christmas. I, uh, I was wondering if you’d like to be my date for the evening? I mean, if you don’t, it’s okay, I understand, but I mean, I really enjoyed our last date and I really want to do it again.” She took a deep breath and blurted out, “I really like you, Anya.” She instantly turned red, muttering to herself, “Oh, that was smooth, Justice….”

“I’d love to”, Anya smiled. “Though, I’ll have to brush up on Christmas customs. I’ve never celebrated it. I don’t have do do any of that dreadful carolling, do I?”

“No, I’m pretty sure it won’t be mandatory.” Sami giggled, “Hope not, my voice is terrible. And, thanks. I mean, I didn’t know if you would be interested or not, but, I mean, you’re just really pretty and so nice and oh my God, Sami, shut up…”

“I told ya she liked ya, too.” Gallia called from the shower area, quickly realizing her mistake, “Err, I mean, I didnae hear anythin’ over the shower bein’ so bloody loud.”

Anya laughed hard. “I’m easy-going, if not exactly an easy woman. No need to beat around the bush with me, okay?”

“Okay, just nervous was all.” Sami explained with a sigh of relief, “I’m, uh, yeah, not very smooth with women. Especially the really attractive ones like you, you know?”

“You’re not exactly hard to look at yourself”, Anya said. “But, you mean you do better with men? In my experience, men are easier to get to take an interest in you, but harder to keep once you’ve done that.”

“Wouldn’t know.” Sami shrugged, “After growing up with four older brothers I find men totally gross.”

“They do have to… shall we say, step up their game around us, this is true”, Anya agreed.

“Right?” Sami laughed again, now comfortable, “Am thinking about killing Gallia though, her eavesdropping ass.”

“And have all your hairdressing work go to waste?” Anya wondered. “That’d be a shame. Instead of killing, try spanking? Though, since she’s an officer, you might have to persuade someone else to do it.”

“Might have to throw her to Lt. Hoffman then.” Sami mused, then laughed, shaking her head, “Nah, she’d enjoy that.”

“I certainly didn’t enjoy getting shot in the arse”, Anya smirked. “But that’s worse, I guess.”

“I can think of better things.” Sami nodded, hoping to one day get to do them.

“Absolutely. I’m more a blades and shield kind of girl”, Anya said. “A firefight is exciting, too. But it’s really fun when you get to cross blades, or even unarmed combat.”

“Not what I meant.” Sami laughed, “But I’m cool with whatever you want to do.”

“I might be able to teach you a few things, how to put your strength to work in your favour”, Anya offered. “Pair your physical prowess with the right amount of skill, you’ll make Klingons piss themselves.”

“Gross.” Sami giggled, laying her head on Anya’s shoulder.