From: Jamie LeBlanc (plainsimplegarak_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Mar 31 2007 - 21:57:03 PDT
“Sunset” (continued from “Saturday”)
~*~*~*~*~
Location: EARTH
Stardate: 2.70401.0050
Scene: Beach nearby the Sydney opera House
Time Index: Late evening on Friday
~*~*~*~*~
They had strolled out past the lights and onto
the beach. The surf was pounding the shore in an
even, rhythmic beat making a roar that almost faded
into the background despite the volume. Kathryn
MacNeill walked ahead, her slim figure cutting a
graceful path through the sand; the impressions of her
footprints filling in slowly behind her, like a living
sculpture slowing moving back to where it had begun.
Aerdan tagged along a few steps behind. He was
neither so light on his feet nor so graceful in the
sand as she was; then again ice and beach had very
little in common. On the shore the ocean sent up a
fine misty haze leaving droplets of dew within the
half Nuimon’s hair. She turned and gave a very small
smile; her teeth looked like pearls in the moonlight.
Despite everything his brother warned him about
falling in love, his breath stuck in his throat.
“What is it?” Kate waggled her brows a little,
watching him. There was a fond note of curiosity in
her voice.
The night hid the tinge of purple in his cheeks,
leaving him free to smile a little. “Oh, just that
it’s pretty breathtaking out here.”
She turned back towards the sea. “Isn’t it?
It’s such a good place to pause for awhile and take
stock of everything that has happened.”
“Is that why we came here?” he asked quietly.
She gave a small nod, her eyes shining a deep
blue tone. “I think so, yes.” She walked up to the
threshold where the sea met the sand, taking off her
shoes, and letting the tips of her toes dip into the
water.
Aerdan picked his way more carefully behind her,
thinking to himself that it would certainly ruin the
moment if he tripped and fell and both of them landed
in the water. “You think so?” He tipped his antennae
inwards, confused as to what was going on.
Kate gave a second, soft smile, and her eyes were
gentle in the dimness. She kept walking towards a
dock on the beach, leaving Aerdan to follow dutifully
behind. He was just about to ask another question
when she stopped, climbing up on the dock and offering
him a hand. “Have you ever felt like you needed to
clear your head?” she asked as he stood up on the dock
facing her eye to eye.
The Andorian nodded slowly to the question.
“Yes, I have.”
Kate bit her lip for a second and then turned
away to the sea. “And what did you do?”
Aerdan blinked for a second, for some reason the
question took him by surprise. “I, well… The last
time I truly felt overloaded I felt like I had to
escape. And I ended up leaving Andor for Starfleet.”
In the moonlight the CMO nodded slowly. “If
things are moving so fast around you it feels like you
don’t have any time to pick the pieces inside of you
and put them back together.”
Aerdan blinked again, the breath in his mouth
felt cold, foreign. “Is that how you feel inside?”
Kathryn MacNeill shrugged softly. “I’m not sure
anymore. An awful lot has happened in a very short
time.”
“I won’t disagree…” he replied, feeling like he
was walking into a pit.
“What were you thinking when we were walking
before? Honestly.” She was searching his face for
something.
Aerdan flushed a deeper shade of navy. “I was
just watching you walk.”
“And…” Kate prompted
He held up both hands. “I wasn’t thinking
anything lewd, Kate…”
In the dark she gave a soft chuckle, there was
relief in the sound. “I know that.” And a pause
before she went on, “but you really never tell me how
you feel.”
He blinked once or twice. “I… well…” Both
antennae twined downwards. “What do you mean how I
feel?”
She circled her hands, as if to illustrate how to
talk about things one step at a time. “I want to know
how you feel.”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked,
exasperated.
“What you think, is that so hard?” the half
Nuimon countered, sounding somewhat frustrated.
“I…” Aerdan cut himself off and just stood
silently on the dock, watching Kate as her skin
flushed slightly pink. Finally she dropped her
shoulders and turned away.
“It’s not important.” She murmured, and began to
walk away.
“Kate, wait…” the Andorian protested. When she
kept on walking he clenched both hands into fists and
sucked air through his teeth. “Kate… I love you; and
I don’t understand what’s going on, but I’d do
anything I could to help.” His voice was soft, the
tone he reserved for speaking only to those he
trusted.
She turned for a second, and in the darkness he
could just barely make out the indecision and pain on
her face. “I… know. And I’m not sure if that makes
everything better… or worse.”
“I don’t understand.” He repeated softly, the
wind catching his hair and tossing it around.
She took in a long slow breath. “I need some
time alone right now. Time to understand everything
that just went on and find out where I am going.”
Aerdan opened his mouth, to speak, but no words
came out, and he didn’t have the heart to follow her
as she made her way up the beach and towards the
transporter pads.
~*~*~*~
Tides are not a usual occurrence on ANDOR. The
planet did not have a satellite that affected the
planet as much as Earth’s moon did; and the oceans
were nearly frozen. His funk was broken by the first
errant tide that swept high onshore; leaving a very
soggy and bedraggled Andorian to drag himself back to
the transporter pad and eventually his hotel room.
~*~*~*~
Scene: Hotel, San Francisco
Time Index: Very late that night
“You’re late.” Arjan commented as he picked an
imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve, looking up
from his raktajino.
“eh.” His younger brother grunted by way of a
reply
“You’re also wet.” The elder Jos took a
nonchalant sip.
“eh.”
Finally Arjan perked a brow. “And you’re a
stunning conversationalist this evening.” He glanced
at the chronometer briefly. “Morning.”
“I suppose I am.” Aerdan finally muttered,
slumping into the chair with a sigh.
“What went wrong?” his brother knit his brows
lightly.
“I have no idea.” The CsciO replied in a heavy
tone.
“What do you mean you have no idea? Was the show
awful? Did you spill champagne all over everyone and
yourself? Did someone suddenly give birth? What
happened?” The older Andorian leaned forward putting
his elbows on the table. Aerdan gave him a stern
look.
“The show was fine. I didn’t spill anything. No
one gave birth. Nothing happened.” He replied in the
driest tone he could manage.
Arjan perked an ivory brow. “You don’t say.
Then do I get to make up wild rumors about how you
come back home at 0300, soaked and looking like
someone kicked you in the head.”
Aerdan’s head snapped up; that one got a
reaction. “Don’t you dare.”
“Defensive tonight too.” The older Andorian
clicked his tongue at his brother. Slowly he began to
put it all together. Despite Arjan’s usual ‘I don’t
care’ demeanor he was more perceptive than most people
gave him credit for. “Let me guess…” Aerdan groaned
but didn’t say anything and Arjan plowed stubbornly
ahead. “You went out, had a great time, things were
going well maybe even really well and then all of a
sudden she gets cold and gets upset and you have no
clue why, so you go out for a walk… and I’m still
unclear on the wet part, but I hope it didn’t include
diving into a fountain and trying to drown yourself.”
He had an expression halfway between concern and
amusement as he watched the color drain from his baby
brother’s face.
Aerdan gave a second groan and put his head on
the table, burying it in his hands. “It was the
beach.”
“Well there would be a lot of water there.” He
murmured. “she didn’t push you in, did she?”
“Maybe she should have” Dr. Jos muttered, still
not raising his head from where it was buried in his
arm
“Well, tell me what happened?” Arjan prompted.
“What is there to tell? You already summed it up
pretty succinctly.”
He gave a soft huff. “Maybe if you tell me
exactly how it played out I can shed some light on
things.”
Slowly Aerdan raised his head, dark circles
forming under his eyes. “What do you know about
women?”
“I was never married so I don’t presume to know
anything… and maybe that’s why I could explain.” The
elder offered.
His younger brother frowned and looked across the
table. “What am I supposed to tell you?”
“How about what you think, is that so hard?”
Arjan countered, slightly frustrated.
The CsciO winced and flushed purple. “What is it
with everyone asking that tonight?”
Arjan bit his tongue a bit. When he finally
spoke again his tone was softer, more hushed, “So she
asked you to tell her how you felt?”
There was a long pause, like the calm before the
storm, and suddenly the younger Andorian let go of his
mental floodgates, and started to speak, the words
spilling out like water from a drain. “She wanted to
walk, she said that she felt overloaded, that things
were… complicated and confusing, but I wasn’t really
listening. She’s lovely in the moonlight walking;
like some sort of goddess. She’s everything that
Kirla wasn’t. Isn’t. She has life and hope and
dreams within her and she makes me think of freedom,
like a tundra bird finally breaking through the ice to
soar into the air. But I didn’t listen, not until it
was too late. She asked me what I was thinking and I
said I thought she was lovely and she said she felt
like she couldn’t put all the pieces back together
inside and I told her I loved her.” He paused,
sucking in a staggered breath. “I would do anything
for her.”
Arjan pinched his eyes closed in an expression of
both intense empathy and a faint, creeping expression
of ‘I told you so.’ He blinked once and sighed. “And
what did she say?”
Aerdan held his head in one hand, silently
letting a few tears slip down the side of his cheek.
“She said she needed to be alone and walked away.”
Arjan’s jaw dropped open a bit and when he picked
it back up again the only word that came out was
“ouch.” Slowly he walked over to his baby brother,
wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t even know what I am right now. But I
miss her.” The CsciO murmured.
They stayed silent for a long time, punctuated
only by the words “I know.” Finally his brother gave
a halfhearted smile. “That still doesn’t explain the
water…”
~*~*~*~*~*~
NRPG: I promise I won’t backpost next time, even if I
have to write tomorrow! I’ll write on the brewing
Cade drama next time – I had more post, but wanted to
cut this one here.
In the middle of correcting my e-mail list; can we get
another one sent out with everyone please? Thanks!
Peace all!
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jamie LeBlanc
Lieutenant Aerdan Jos
Chief Science Officer
USS PROPHECY
-Either you're lost...or desperatly searching for a good tailor....
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