To the Theater We Shall Go!

Posted on Wed Jan 19th, 2022 @ 12:30am by Lieutenant Vira Vemre [Whavi] & Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford

Mission: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
Location: Holodeck 3
Timeline: MD 2 1900
1536 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Vira huffed as she threw the tenth dress she had tried on onto the pile on her bed. Never did she have trouble finding something to wear. Why was there so much pressure? She knew Damien could probably care less what she wore, as long as she wore something. She wished she knew his favorite color, or what color he liked on her. "Ugh." She threw her hands up in the air before rubbing her palms on her face.

Damien sighed as he stood in front of his mirror, two shirts hanging from the edge. One blue, one green. For what he thought was the first time ever, he honestly wasn't sure what to wear. The green was a lovely colour, but the blue brought out his eyes. Groaning, he glanced over at the clock. He still had time, but it was slowly ticking away. "Screw it." He muttered to himself, grabbing the blue shirt and pulling it on, smoothing it out. "She'll like this." He mumbled. "Yeah, sure. This looks good." Grabbing a matching tie, he quickly tied it on, before grabbing his suit jacket, completing his ensemble.

Taking one last at himself in the mirror, he nodded to himself, before heading out the door, making his way to the appointed Holodeck.

Vira was still smoothing out the front of her dress when she reached the holodeck. The dress, albeit a simple navy blue, was exquisite in the way it hugged her curves. She wore her hair in a half up fashion so that it was pulled back from her face but allowed her long honey blonde curls to hang over her shoulders. When she reached the holodeck she let out a breath, surprised she made it before Damien.

Damien turned a corner and stopped as he saw Vira standing at the end of the corridor, outside the Holodeck, his breath catching as saw her. Walking down the corridor, he stopped beside her, slipping an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. "Good evening." He said softly, leaning in pecking her lips gently. "Can I just say, you look absolutely gorgeous"

Vira let out a small giggle as he pulled her close. After he kissed her she smiled up at him, "Not as gorgeous as your eyes do with that shirt! Also, we match." She turned to wrap her arms around him and pull herself up to kiss him fully.

He chuckled, nodding slightly. "That we do." He said, smiling at her. "A happy coincidence." Wrapping his arms around her fully, he pulled her close, closing his eyes as they kissed, holding her for a minute, before pulling away. "So, are you ready for a magical evening?"

"Magical? Are you a wizard now Mr. Blackford?!" Vira teased raising on eyebrow in question.

Damien grinned, winking at her. "I'm a man of many talents, Miss V." He said, cryptically, before turning to the Holodeck doors, pressing the button to open them, offering his arm to Vira. "Shall we?"

Eager to learn what was in store, Vira linked her arm with Damien and started towards the open entrance. "Are you at least going to give me a hint?"

Damien grinned as they walked through the archway. "Hmm. It involves singing." Was all he said, stopping in the middle of the room. "Any guesses before we start?"

Vira paled slightly, "You know I can't sing right?!"

Damien chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "Don't worry. We aren't the ones doing the singing."

"Thank the goddess!" Vira exclaimed. She looked around the empty room waiting for Damien to start the program. "Hmmm...Klingon Opera?"

He chuckled again, shaking his head. "Not quite." Clearing his throat, he said, "Computer, start program Blackford-Delta-Four." There was a second as the computer processed his request, before the room around them shimmered and slowly transformed, revealing a large theatre. They were seated high above in their own private booth, the stage below them empty, the sound of the orchestra tuning their instruments wafting over the air.

When the theater came into view Vira immediately looked down and instantly regretted it. With a gasp her hand reached out and clasped onto Damiens forearm. After a few moments of breathing and taking in the room Vira released her death grip on Damien and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to be to…so high up.” Her curiosity got the best of her when she braved another look over the balconies edge.

Damien chuckled, slipping a protective arm around Vira, smiling softly at her. "Sorry. Guess I should've warned you." He said. "I thought it would be nicer to have our own private booth, rather than be stuck in between people. Easier to focus on the show."

Vira relaxed at Damien's touch, she was only then able to admire the beautiful structure of the theater. Figures carved into the wood, a high painted ceiling. It was breath taking. "Is this a real place on Earth?"

He smiled, running his finger gently along her side, nodding. "Mmhm. This is the Sondheim Theatre, in London's West End district. Me and my mum used to come here all the time. Home of one of my all-time favourite musicals. Les Misérables."

Vira was awestruck by the design of the theatre, so much detail in every inch. Her eyes could barely take in the sea of red seating below them. When she finally pulled her attention from all that surrounded them she found Damiens blue eyes and smiled, "Is that the play we will be watching?" Her hand found his and she laced their fingers together.

He smiled, nodding, lacing their fingers, squeezing softly, absentmindedly running his thumb across the back of her palm. "It is." He said, nodding. "It was the first musical me, mum, and dad all went to watch together. Since he was away from home so much, dad wasn't always around to do things like that.

Vira leaned in closer to Damien, both hands taking hold of the one that held her own. She had no words for how honored she felt he was sharing something so close to his heart with her. She didn't feel worthy, but pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. Her small lips curved into an innocent smile, "What is it about?"

Damien smiled, squeezing her hands. “A man finds himself arrested after stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister and her child. After finally being given parole, 19 years later, and after a bishop saves him from being arrested again, he decides to break parole, and change his life. Eight years later, he’s now mayor of a small town, but soon finds himself pursued by the police officer who first arrested him. He soon finds himself on the run once again. He also ends up helping in the French June Rebellion of 1832.” He smiled softly, his eyes glancing over the empty stage. “It’s a tale of love, loss, second chances, and redemption. And it’s probably my favourite piece of theatre.”

"He was arrested? For simply trying to feed another?" A small bit of anger bleed into her voice at the injustice of it. She was eager to see the play now more then she had been. Knowing already the story of this mans hardship and rise to a better life would entrance her. She turned her eyes to the stage, leaning her head on Damiens shoulder.

Damien looked down at her, smiling. "Ah! But there you see lies one of the questions raised by the play. Jean Valjean, our hero, steals to help another. A noble cause indeed. But, in doing so, he still commits a crime. If he goes free, then where does the line get drawn? How far is one allowed to go in regards to breaking the law, if the reason is 'a noble cause'?"

"I don't believe I would ever be able to punish someone for helping another. I mean as long as no one gets murdery that is." Vira tried to joke but in the back of her mind she was remembering missions she had been on, stories told by other officers of about races that did unspeakable things only so that they could survive. Her hazel eyes took on a far away look as she got lost in thought.

Damien nodded. "As a Security Officer, it's interesting to think about. I've been trained to uphold the law, and follow it to its letter. But, perhaps there are circumstances when the law should not necessarily be broken, but perhaps, bent slightly. Small, petty crimes that hurt no one, for example." Catching her gaze, he nudged her side gently. "Hey, you okay?" He asked softly.

Blinking out of her daze Vira smiled up at Damien and nodded, "I was just lost in my thoughts. Do you think its starting soon?" The lights began to dim, sending a blanket of darkness over those seated below.

He smiled, nodding, gesturing to the stage. The lights slowly started coming up on stage, the noise from the orchestra pit changing from the sounds of tuning up to a sounds of the show's overture. "Here we go." He whispered softly.


END