Post 27 - Fire and (Delly) Ice

Posted on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 8:20pm by Captain Björn Kodak & Andrew Munro & Lieutenant Irynya
Edited on on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 8:24pm

Mission: The Waiting Game
Location: The Main Street Concourse - Delphi, Risa
Timeline: Mission Day 40 - 1100 Hours (3 Days after Andrew and Bjorn go on a date)

[Main Street Concourse]
[Delphi, Risa]
[Mission Day 40 - 1100 Hours]

It was a warm day by Risian standards. A breeze blew in from the sea, tousling the hair and cover ups of beach goers, but stopping short of main street as it encountered low buildings. The only bits of sea breeze that remained was the tantalizing smell of ocean and the occasional waft as if gentle fingers were tugging at arms, encouraging the shoppers of Delphi to return to their beach towels and swimwear.

For Irynya, walking down the main street amidst vacationing shoppers felt both comfortingly familiar and strangely foreign. It had, admittedly, been a few years since she had been home. Between the Academy and her postings it just hadn’t made sense to take enough shore leave at once to return. And now she was here as a guest, one of the people picking up holo trinkets that displayed the Delphi mountain range toward the middle of the island or goofy shirts that read I came for Jamaharon and all I got was this t-shirt. Those always puzzled her. If people really wanted Jamaharon it was really just a simple thing to ask. Her gaze followed a couple whose hands were twined together, arms bumping as they walked. She signed.

“Iry!” Marteli’s voice cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. “Marti to Iry!”

The other woman’s voice was playful, but worried. Had she not known Marteli so well she might have missed the concern as the Risian’s carefully schooled features spoke of nothing more than playful fun.

“I’m sorry Marti,” she said apologetically, “Just distracted.”

Marti nodded knowingly, a mischievous smile crossing her features. “Well, I was asking if you wanted to go get a Delly Ice.”

Iry smiled, a genuine one, knowing her friend was trying her best to be kind. Truthfully she had been distracted on their entire outing and she knew it had to be bothering Marti terribly. Delly Ice was a childhood favorite and a carrot that Marti typically reserved for bad breakups and comforting over the terrible ways of mean girls. That she was suggesting it now meant that Iry was well and truly concerning her.

A figure caught her eye slipping into a shop behind her friend and Irynya couldn’t help but pause. For a moment she was sure she had just seen Captain Kodak, but then he hadn’t been seen at the resort since the last influx of senior staff. She wasn’t even certain he was planetside yet.

“Iry, where did you go?” her friend asked, this time her well schooled Risian features crinkled in concern.

“Umm…” Irynya began, unable to shake the idea that perhaps that was the Captain. Shouldn’t she say hi or something if it was? “You go ahead. I need to do something quick but I’ll meet you there. 15 minutes. I promise.”

Marteli looked unconvinced, but nodded after a moments consideration. “15 minutes,” she said casting a meaningful look at Irynya. “Or I’ll send a search party.”

Iry nodded her agreement then, not even looking to see if Marteli had turned to go, she headed toward the shop.

The shop in question was a bit unlike the others on the strip. While it had a storefront window showing some of the items on offer inside, the mannequins there were not dressed in trendy shirts and sail-boat printed shorts. Instead, some of the life-sized torsos sported skimpy bathing suits that seemed built for accentuating certain male features. Others were made for women, barely made of enough material to cover more modest areas. Additional items were displayed as well; hanging on the wall behind the mannequins was an array of floggers, handcuffs (of both the fuzzy and metal varieties), crops, and blindfolds. The offerings weren't exactly explicit but parents might need to answer awkward questions should they walk by with their children. But then again, this was Risa -- such things were not unexpected.

Inside the shop, customers were busy perusing the aisles visible from the door. The swimsuits and other apparel were all placed there, making up the most common items likely to draw random passersby in. But a bead curtain vivisected the space, partially hiding the store space beyond from view of its facade. As Irynya entered, two men slipped through the beads, hand-in-hand, the one who looked like Kodak leading the way. The pair could momentarily be seen moving deeper into the store, though the view was cut off once the beads had stopped moving, returning to their former hanging position.

Taking a quick glance behind her to ensure Marteli had, in fact, headed to the Delly Ice stall, she slipped quietly into the shop. A small bell tinkled over the doorway alerting the young Risian man at the counter of her entrance. She flashed him a broad smile and then pointed towards the beaded curtains as if to indicate that what she was looking for was back there. He returned her smile and then waved her on as though young Risian women regularly entered his shop and made a beeline for the part of the shop that required some additional privacy from the front of store browsers. As she approached the back she paused, pretending intense interest in a display of fuzzy handcuffs.

Beyond the beads, there was no denying that Irynya had been right: it was most certainly Kodak. The man had removed the aviator sunglasses he'd been wearing, hanging them from the open vee of his tropical, button-down shirt. In stark contrast to his Starfleet uniform, the Chameloid had unbuttoned his shirt almost to his belly button, showing off the fuzziness of his chest and trunk. He was in the process of lifting a leather harness off the wall, turning to place it over the chest of the man accompanying him. The garment was made of soft but shapely black leather, accented in gleaming silver studs that crisscrossed the H-shape the harness made.

"This would look good on you, I think," Björn smirked at Andrew, leaning in to kiss the man while the harness stayed wedged between them. The Chameloid seemed happy; in phenomenal spirits since the last time Irynya had seen him. Learning back, Björn reached up to wipe moisture from Andrew's lips and then tugged at his shirt. "C'mon sexy, shirt off. Harness on," he intoned, his face growing a bit more serious. "I want to see how well this hugs your chest," Björn rasped warmly.

Andrew popped open the buttons on his shirt, slipped it off and cast it aside without looking. His attention was completely focused on the bigger man and the exciting new garment being pressed to his chest. He noticed how soft and comfortable the leather felt as he took hold of the harness and couldn't resist bringing it up to his nose to inhale the new leather smell. Björn's face bore a smile that seemed to say 'I knew you would like it'. Andrew raised the harness over his head, positioning his arms inside the outer loops and dropped it so that the central loop fell over his head. Although loosely cradling his chest, the fit seemed good. Andrew hadn't noticed that the straps were adjustable until Björn reached for them and pulled them tighter with a rough tug that jerked his entire upper body forwards. The widening grin on his face gave away the fact that he was enjoying the rough handling. With the harness now snug, Andrew felt Björn's fingers passing upwards through his chest hair and gripping the leather strap. Arm muscles flexed and Andrew felt himself being raised up onto his toes and drawn forwards, closer to that handsome, smiling face and what seemed like an inevitable deep and intense kiss. If the purpose of the new garment was unclear before, it was now being clearly demonstrated.

From her spot beyond the curtain Iry could make out most of the conversation between the two men and it only took a moment for her to determine that one voice did, indeed, belong to Captain Kodak. For a long moment she deliberated. On one hand, the Captain was entitled to a personal private life that his crew wasn't privy to. On the other, they had just lived through a hellish experience complete with no shower capabilities and round the clock shifts. If they weren't close enough now for her to say hello then she wasn't sure that closeness would ever arrive so long as she was squarely on the second string.

Making up her mind, she threaded one delicate hand through the beaded curtain pulling it back slowly to give the men a moment to register her arrival then, slipping through, she allowed a catlike grin to spread across her features.

"Captain Kodak," she demurred, the grin spreading even further, "if you had told me this was the sort of thing you liked I could have pointed you to any number of excellent establishments. What's the benefit of having a Risian reporting to you if you can't take advantage of her local knowledge?"

"Captain?" Andrew exclaimed, looking towards the attractive new arrival and then back down to Björn, with eyebrows raised. They'd known each other quite intimately for a few days now and that seemed like a fairly big detail to have left out.

Shit, Björn sighed inwardly, Andrew still held by the front his harness and lifted. The Chameloid knew that some of the crew were vacationing in the area but apparently did not expect anyone to have followed him into such a place. Not only that, but Björn hadn't wanted to drop the 'Captain' bomb quite yet, knowing it would likely pop the bubble he'd so been enjoying spending time with Andrew in. And yet here they all were, now caught up in a very awkward encounter -- an encounter that was legitimately making Kodak very angry that Irynya was nosing around where she wasn't invited. With a heavy sigh, Björn gently lowered Andrew back onto the balls of his feet and closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"I was getting there in my own time. It'd been a pleasant fiction," he almost growled, "forgetting about work for awhile. But now you know," Björn lamented, eyes awash in sudden concern that Andrew would run for the hills. "Hello, Lieutenant," the Chameloid turned to Irynya then, his eyes hard. "While I appreciate that you're from here, I wasn't looking for local knowledge. Or a tour of local sex shops," the man said, having transformed himself back into Kodak-the-Captain in tone if not uniform. "In fact, I was deliberately hoping for some separation for awhile. But if there's something you needed, by all means," he said, all semblance of the warm playfulness from just seconds ago having vanished, "please feel free to let me know."

It was a harsh reaction and an unfair one at that. But after the last few days getting out from under the yoke of command, Kodak was not at all ready to have it suddenly thrust back onto him. So many emotions swirled through the Chameloid's mind, weighing down his heart and getting ahead of his ability to tamp them down and stash them into mental boxes. He almost felt panic to be suddenly caught, though Kodak had no need to fear being scene with his handsome companion. With the taking of a calming breath, the Captain shook his head and sighed, transitioning to Björn once again.

"I'm very sorry. I just...didn't expect to be ambushed here," he admitted. "Irynya," he omitted her rank, "this is Andrew Munro -- a Federation Science Council Biologist stationed here on Risa," he gestured in greeting. "Andrew is someone I've enjoyed getting to know very much these last few days." To underscore that, Björn took Andrew's hand and squeezed it affectionately by way of apology. "I'm sorry I didn't mention my rank before," he said, turning to the man attached to that hand. "I was afraid it might send you running. We Captains have terrible reputations when it comes to romantic entanglements," Björn lamented sourly.

Irynya, for her part, had gone from relief at seeing the Captain to deeply embarrassed at her overstep. At the mention of her rank she snapped to attention and remained there even after Kodak had referred to her by her first name, a picture of a perfect officer waiting for the appropriate words to excuse her. Her mind spun as she did so--both kicking herself for following her own curiosity and wishing that propriety in the face of a ranking officer didn't prevent her from simply tucking tail and running.

"I... I'm..." she took a breath, still staring straight ahead in perfect attention, "I'm sorry, sir. That was a poor judgment call on my part. Naturally you're welcome to your own free time. Some of us were just concerned that we hadn't seen you yet and I was glad to know you had arrived. If that is all, I won't bother you further."

Allowing herself to break attention only slightly her eyes slid to the biologist in the well fitted harness. "Mr. Munro, my apologies for the intrusion."

"Call me Andrew," he said with a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you Irynya."

Andrew extended his hand towards her for a traditional Earth-style handshake. He could see that she was Risian, but he was hoping that dropping formalities combined with a little physical contact might diffuse the tension and make everyone relax a little.

Irynya looked from the proferred hand to the hand's owner, then to the Captain and tried not to panic. On one hand she wanted to politely accept the gesture. He seemed nice and she appreciated the gesture more than he could know. But on the other hand she, as a junior officer, had stepped her toe in where it clearly hadn't been wanted. She couldn't help wondering if she had misjudged the commraderie from the ship among the Captain and the second stringers only a little more than a month before. In the end she met the Captain's eyes and hoped he would understand that she didn't want to be rude, but she wanted even less to be insubordinate.

"It's alright, Irynya," Björn nodded slowly. "Like I said, just didn't expect to run into anyone here. Please forgive the 'Fight or Flight' response," he urged, the words said with a rack of adult toys glimmering behind him in various shades of pink, purple, black, and peach. Some were quite thick and humanish while others trended more towards the thinner but more bulbous forms of various other alien species. The whole scene was actually quite comical...if Björn would just allow himself to laugh at it. But the Chameloid was still gripped in a kind of fear with regards to his companion's reaction to the revelations of command.

Andrew turned back to face Björn. "I'm sorry that I sounded surprised. I mean, it fits and all," he said, seeming unsatisfied with his own explanation. "It just that, you can normally tell who the captains are. They're usually the ones that almost resent being here, like someone coerced them, and any 'fun' they do have always feels a little forced." He smiled at Björn and returned the hand-squeezing gesture. "I didn't get that feeling from you at all. You were here with me and I know you were enjoying it." The expression on Andrew's face changed to look a little more sheepish. "Besides, as far romantic entanglements go, well let's just say that I'm not exactly in a position to go judging anyone's reputation. Even captains."

"No reason to be sorry, handsome," Björn rasped, voice infused with what sounded like relief. "I'm the one who withheld that little tidbit. And you're right," the Chameloid nodded, eyes looking much less panicked then, "I've definitely been enjoying my time here with you. Especially since word came down that we're going to be here for the foreseeable future," Björn added, squeezing the hand in his once again. Turning back to the Risian, he said, "What brings you out today, Irynya? I thought for sure you'd be on a beach somewhere, being served drinks by thirsty men with little umbrellas in them. Well," he smirked for the first time since the interruption, "in the drinks, I mean. Not the men, of course." That particular mental image did make Björn's smirk widen into a smile, however.

"Keep that on," he nodded to Andrew's harness. "And I'll just take that, thank you," Björn chuckled, taking Andrew's shirt from him and placing it over his shoulder. Waiting for Irynya and his new love interest to shake hands, hug, or whatever it was Risian locals did to each other in greeting, the Chameloid let his eyes rove the back wall from which he'd chosen Andrew's new harness. There were ample other garments fashioned from leather but what really caught Björn's eye was an exquisite flogger in soft black leather with red trim, its tassels alternating between the two colors. Reaching forward, he let his fingers trail through the strands, nodding approvingly as he did so. "This is nice," he commented, taking the implement down from its hook and feeling the weight of its handle in his hand.

As Irynya watched the exchange between the two men she slowly melted out of attention. Her shoulders felt knotted from holding herself so rigidly and from the anxiety that still had her heart racing, but she was cautiously relieved at the switch back to something closer to the Captian Kodak she had known on the ship.

Andrew had dropped his hand during the awkward window in which she debated what to do. As Kodak took in some of the shop's other wares, she extended her own, a small smile warming her features.

"Irynya," she said by way of introduction although the Captain had already done the honors rendering her repetition unnecessary. "I've been stationed under Captain Kodak on the USS Adelphi. And I'm terribly sorry for any discomfort. I'd love to say that it's the Risian 'all that is mine is yours' mentality, but really I was just relieved. We've all been a bit worried. I, for one, am more than glad to see that he's not holed up in a room somewhere reviewing logs or whatever else Captains do in their free time." She emphasized the Risian welcoming phrase with a bit more sarcasm than perhaps she had intended. It wasn't that she didn't agree with the thought, more that she knew too many who excused their own impositions by implying that no such barriers or privacies should exist.

Andrew accepted her extended hand and gave it a gentle shake. "Oh, no need to apologize to me. I've been here long enough to let go of any jamaharon-related hangups." He was glad that the tense moment had passed and was now intrigued by the young woman with the long, silky hair who knew about this barely-operational starship he'd been carefully avoiding in conversation. He released her hand and smiled warmly. "It really is nice to meet you. I'd love to hear some stories from this Adelphi sometime."

A true grin crossed the young woman's face then, but she made sure to glance over to the Captain as it did trying to do a better job reading his reaction. "It would be my pleasure if, of course, the Captain doesn't mind." Noticing that Kodak seemed to have been distracted by some of the shop's wares, she pitched her voice a bit higher so he could hear her.

The Chameloid looked up at that and shook his head. "I don't mind," Björn said, having heard Irynya's half-ask about Adelphi stories. Something in his voice sounded strained, though; hollow and hesitant for some reason, though he wasn't forthcoming. Instead, his eyes cast down again at the flogger in his hand, testing its weight by rotating it around slowly with his wrist. Björn seemed more interested in the implement than he did talking about their former ship, it seemed.

When no further reaction came, Irynya shrugged to Andrew and threaded her arm through his as if she was shopping the specialty section with an old friend rather than a half clad man she had just met. He was nearly a foot taller than her, so rather than make the awkward additional step of staring up at him she zero'd in on a the display of harnesses that the two had been looking at. She stepped away from Andrew briefly to look him up and down, but her hand never left his forearm in the motion.

"That's a good choice for your build," she noted, before turning back to the display. "This is my first time in this shop, truthfully. The plight of living in a vacation destination--you often don't get to spend time where all of the tourists can be found. Although I suppose you know that by now. How long have you been stationed here?"

"Four years now," Andrew replied. "I have an apartment in Suraya Bay so I'm kinda in the middle of a tourist area most of the time. I don't have any family or friends on Risa so it's quite handy for meeting visitors and getting invited to parties."

Björn, meanwhile, was tracing the intricate weaving of leather strands that formed the flogger's grippy handle with a finger. The striated pattern of interwoven strips lent towards extra traction, especially helpful if one's palm got sweaty mid-session. A desirable quality, he thought to himself, nodding approvingly. He was aware of the small talk happening between his secondary helm officer and...whatever Andrew was: they'd not quite gotten around to any labels just yet. As the conversation carried on, though, Björn felt himself sliding more and more to the periphery of the interaction. Such was the way of things when introducing new people to each other, of course. If they got on well, the introducer was often relegated to the background of the interaction for time.

Instead of butting his way back into the conversation, Björn continued walking down the aisle, performing some gentle swings of the flogger in a figure-eight pattern. He liked the way the tassels moved; so much in unison without those on the outer edges flying away from the rest. "Should minimize accidentally hitting the spine," Björn said to himself approvingly. Eyes roving the wall of garments, the Chameloid suddenly stopped and bust out laughing. It was a low, throaty kind of laugh but a genuine one. The source of his amusement? A Starfleet officer uniform in black and red, made from a combination of thick leather panels and stretchy, rubber-like material.

"Kinky," Björn smirked, turning back to Irynya and Andrew. He pointed up at the uniform and said, "I'd never thought about it before but I suppose Starfleet roleplay is a valid thing. No kink shaming here," the Chameloid chuckled.

Irynya turned from where she had been quietly learning about Andrew and, catching sight of what the Captain had been looking at let out an extremely unlady-like snort followed be peels of giggles. "Oh my goodness," she wheezed through her laughter, curling in slightly as if doing so would keep the giggling from shaking her apart. "I am going to have to tell..." she stopped there and straightened still smothering giggles, but realizing the two men had no idea what she was laughing at.

"I may have had a conversation about this very thing with a fellow member of our crew just a few days ago," she giggled again despite herself. "I mean, not this exact conversation, but he was wearing his uniform with the thought that it might be helpful for jamaharon. If he only knew that this sort of option was out there!" And with that thought she fell into a fit of giggles again.

"Well if I'd known your uniforms were like that, I might have been tempted to sign up myself!" Andrew smirked, having caught sight of what was causing all the amusement. "You must go through a lot of emollient cream."

"When on Risa," Björn chuckled, shrugging -- the gesture sent ripples down his form, which shifted his cargo shorts and open shirt into the same kinky Starfleet uniform hanging on the wall. Withdrawing the item from somewhere, the Chameloid lifted his combadge and affixed it to his chest. "Well? What do we think?" he asked, doing a slow twirl for Andrew and Irynya. Truth told, Björn felt bad for the way things had gone and was trying to make up for that by further lightening the mood. Flogger still in hand, he looked like some odd blend of Starfleet Captain and a Leatherman. "Warp speed...or else," he snickered, eyes narrowing mock-dangerously as he crack-whipped the flogger in the air.

Andrew failed to hold back a belly laugh at the sight, although he couldn't deny that on Björn's large frame it did look kinda hot. "Oh I'm afraid I don't know how to warp speed, Sir," he mocked as he stepped within touching distance so he could trace a finger down the soft leather panels of the uniform. "I'll have to submit myself for disciplinary action."

Björn chuckled at that, lifting the flogger as if he were debating its use. "I think this is where I make a groan-worthy joke about taking you to my Brig. I mean," he smirked warmly, "the Brig." Wait -- did that mean he had his own personal jail cell somewhere? Andrew might just find out someday but that day was not, it seemed, today. The Chameloid grinned over at Irynya, who looked as if she could barely constrain laughter. "It's quite alright, you know...you can laugh," he smiled at the woman.

And laugh, Irynya did. A few moments later, finally getting herself back under control, however, Irynya realized that in her enjoyment of the two men's company her 15 minutes had elapsed. "Oh no, I am so sorry, I promised to meet a friend!" Irynya started towards the beaded curtain, but had no sooner passed back into the front of the shop when she realized Marteli was standing just outside, two large Delly Ices in a carrier cradled in her hands.

Thinking fast she whirled back around and through the curtain. "Uh..." she started, trying to think of how to explain the situation. "So, my best childhood friend is outside the shop with Delly Ice. I promised I would meet her after 15 minutes and I'm well past that by now."

She thought a moment and then, cautiously, offered up the idea that had begun to formulate in the back of her head. "Delly Ice is typically a two person dessert. Would you like to join us?" she asked, eager for a further chance to catch up, but not wanting to impose further. "Of course, you don't have to at all if you have plans or want would rather not..." she let the sentence hang, not wanting to return to the discomfort of her arrival.

Andrew looked to Björn, his expression showed that he was amenable to the idea but the final say wouldn't be his. Besides, the burly Chameloid was still holding his shirt hostage. He started to wonder if he would be getting it back before they left the shop.

"A Delly Ice sounds...nice?" Björn smirked, nodding to Andrew. If the man was up for it, so was he. "I'll just need a few moments to check us out. Come along, handsome," he said, smiling as he slipped a finger under Andrew's new harness and pulled him along. They made their way to the counter up front and Björn placed the flogger down before chucking a thumb at the harness. "That too. He'll be wearing it out," Björn said warmly, eyeing Andrew mischievously as he reached forward in anticipation of thumbing the transaction approval PADD. While the Federation didn't utilize money, it did compensate worlds like Risa with materials needed to produce the things tourists wanted. Thus, records were kept even if money did not exchange hands.

"And that too, yeah?" the young man working the counter asked, pointing at the leather-and-rubber Starfleet uniform Björn was wearing.

"Actually no, friend," Björn rasped with a slight smile. "Sorry, I'm a Chameloid. It's not really my clothing," he felt brave enough to say in front of Andrew and Irynya. With another shrug, the uniform rearranged itself back into his open shirt and too-many-pockets-for-shorts shorts. Only his combadge remained the same, hanging loosely from the tropical print garment. "See?"

"Um...kay," the worker said, narrowing his eyes in dubious disbelief but deciding that questioning things further was beyond his pay grade. That, or his care-about bandwidth. Tapping his PADD to bring up the items and select them for transaction, the young man then offered the device for Björn's thumbprint. When it'd been given, he said, "Thanks -- have a pleasant day and," he handed the flogger over in a bag, "remember, as always, that..."

"All that is yours is mine," Björn pursed his lips, amused. "I won't forget, promise," he winked before turning back to his companions. "Ready?" he asked, gesturing to Irynya's friend outside. "Don't want to keep her waiting any longer than we already have, hmm?" As he led the way to the door, he shook his shoulders out again, the kinky uniform variant reappearing. "What?" Björn asked, turning back to Andrew and Irynya as he walked backwards through the door. "I kind of like it..."

Andrew flashed a smile towards Irynya before following Björn's lead out of the store. He wasn't getting his shirt back and even though he'd been among Risians for some time, walking into public wearing a harness still felt naughty and exciting. The young woman holding the desserts was already looking at Björn in his alternative uniform and so Andrew struck a mock-pose alongside him, just before Irynya emerged from the store.

Irynya had been smothering peals of giggles as the Captain finished his purchases and transformed his attire into the provacative Starfleet uniform that they had seen in the back. Oh if Parsons could see him now. No matter how she tried she couldn't shake the thought. As she did so a small piece in the back of her mind recognized that the Captain had never performed such a change in front of her, or really most of the crew to her knowledge. Perhaps senior officers had experienced it before, but to her it was new and so she tucked that away as a kindness to appreciate later.

As she exited, following the two men, she got a good look at Marteli's face as it went from intrigue, to amusement, to confusion when her friend's eyes finally landed on her. She couldn't hold the giggles in any longer and once again found herself laughing.

Trying to get her reaction back under control she attempted to undertake introductions. "Marteli, I am so... giggle ...sorry. I didn't mean to take so...snort long! deep breath followed by more giggles This is Captain Bjorn Koda..." The Risian couldn't help herself as she looked back to her Captain still attired in Starfleet role play attire. "Captain Kodak," she finally wheezed out. "And this is his friend, Andrew Munro." She paused, taking a deep breath and schooling her features. "Captain, Andrew, this is Marteli. She and I grew up together here in Delphi. It's a bit of an odd thing to have Starfleet's concierge book us all rooms at the resort where I grew up but here we are."

Marteli, for her part, had begun to giggle herself, unable to avoid her friend's infections amusement. And seeing her friend's laughter Irynya once again dissolved into giggles. The two of them working to pull themselves together as quickly as possible. The laughter felt good and real and Irynya couldn't help but be thankful for the joy of such a simple thing.

"I thought perhaps they could join us for Delly Ice," she finally explained to Marteli, waving the two men along as she moved a short way down to a small table set up outside an adjacent shop. Taking one of the bowls from her friend's hand she handed it over. "I'll pop in here and ask for extra spoons," she advised, before turning to quickly obtain the implements.

"A pleasure," Björn rasped, the morning sun necessitating the wearing of his aviators once more. He dipped his head to the newcomer and then handed the bowl of...whatever it was to Andrew. "You're in charge of that, handsome," he said to the younger man, who was standing out in the middle of the crowded sidewalk without a shirt, his hairy chest framed by a leather harness for all to see. While people were often scantily clad in the vicinity of beaches and resorts, the showing of so much skin was a bit out of place in the shopping district. Which was probably why the Chameloid was so amused at that very moment...

As Irynya returned with spoons -- handing just one over -- Björn looked back to her. "So...wait. All of the crew are staying at your family's resort?" He recalled the Second Stringer mentioning the resort previously: with the Adelphi's Bridge falling apart around them, there'd been plenty of time for talking as they limped their way back to the Barzan wormhole. If memory served, the Risian had grown up working there as well before finally deciding to join Starfleet. "Interesting that Starfleet would put everyone together like that. I just assumed everyone made their own plans?" Ah, the privilege of being a Captain...

But something else suddenly struck the Chameloid... "Wait again," his eyebrows both arched up, "I can't believe I just made this connection. Adelphi...Delphi...you can't escape this place, can you?" Björn asked, a laugh collecting in his throat as he turned towards Andrew and the Delly ice. With a scoop intentionally designed to avoid the green...sludge? Slime? Paste?...he spooned some of the confection into his mouth and nodded, smiling. "It's good. Different," he remarked, "but good. Your turn," he said, handing the spoon over to his date and then firmly gripping the harness, pulling him close enough to whisper: "You get any on that harness and there'll be trouble..." Above the rim of his aviators, Björn's golden eyes shone with mock-severity.

Andrew grinned and raised both eyebrows, clearly considering getting into that trouble. He had a feeling that'd be happening later anyway, as all new purchases tend to come with a eagerness to put them to use. He poked at the green worm-like things on top of the dessert with the spoon, convincing himself that they weren't actually worms but still couldn't get over their appearance. He broke one apart just to change the way it looked, and scooped the pieces into his mouth along with a hunk of the cream colored layer that they were sitting on. They were some kind of rice flour jelly, and quite delicately flavored despite the bold color. It was the first time he'd heard Björn mention the Adelphi without a melancholy tone and so he pretended to be occupied by the dessert whilst listening for more details. Apparently Irynya was just the first of many crew members they may bump into. The realization made Andrew start to feel a little self-conscious about his attire.

Irynya watched the exchange with amusement before responding to her captain's questions. Taking a liberal scoop of the Delly Ice and being certain to grab a chunk of the delicately flavored jelly she couldn't help the feeling of home that overtook her. A wave of the melancholy she had been feeling earlier washed behind it clearing her face of the amusement for the briefest of moments before she came back to the present.

"Yes, it does seem that this place has a particular hold," she said, mirthfully, to answer Kodak's connection between their former ship and her home. "I always took it as a good sign, truthfully. Also, yes--everyone that's here is at the Grand Delphinium. I grew up 5 minutes off resort and my parents still work there. It's a bit of a weird shift to be there as a guest, but I guess the Starfleet concierge thought keeping us all together made the most sense. I wouldn't say I see everyone all the time, but we do bump into each other."

She scooped another cooling spoonful of ice and cream and jelly into her mouth feeling a citrusy boba that had been layered underneath the ice burst between her teeth, coating her mouth in bright juiciness. Marteli, for her part, was playing the consummate Risian and best friend. She stayed firmly by Irynya's side, but hadn't yet entered the conversation. Irynya knew this meant her friend was being protective. There would definitely be a conversation broached on their way back to the resort. It was how they always worked. They backed each other up and waited for private moments to express plainly any concerns that had breached the level of the normal every day. Externally she knew that the Captain and his friend would see Marteli's well managed Risian openness. It was, she supposed, one of the things her people were best at.

Swallowing one more mouthful of the dessert she gesticulated with her spoon in the general direction of the Grand Delphinium. "If you get a chance you should come check the resort out," she noted. "I"m sure I can arrange for a high altitude excursion with my parents' if that's of interest. And I know the crew would be relieved to see you. There was so much uncertainty when we all left for shore leave." She paused, looking down at her hands then and hoping she wasn't being too presumptuous. "Not that you have to, of course. You're on shore leave too. But they all look up to you. We all do."

Björn watched Andrew pick at the verdant strings of goop, honestly a bit repulsed by their worm-like appearance and over-saturated color. But when the younger man popped the spoonful into his mouth and didn't immediately spit it up, the Chameloid decided to brave a taste of his own while Irynya was speaking. Taking the spoon being handed back to him, Björn smiled brightly at his fuzzy companion -- cognizant that they were both dressed oddly for the shopping district but making no move to remedy the situation. "You look good in that," he encouraged Andrew, reading the discomfort on his face. "And I appreciate you going outside your comfort zone for me," his smile was radiant.

As Irynya spoke of high-altitude excursions, Björn cast that idea right out of the proverbial window, his latent fear of heights working its way into his thoughts. As he scooped a spoonful of the chilly concoction into his mouth, the flavors mixed across his tongue, striking strong notes that were both floral and fruity -- a treat for some, obviously, but not really to the Chameloid's liking. Guess I'm more of a chocolate man, Björn thought to himself as Andrew took another bite and then moved to hand the spoon back. With a nonchalant shake of his head, Björn signaled that he wasn't interested in trying any more of the dessert. His encouraging nod, however, was done in hopes that his date would continue to enjoy the delicacy himself.

As the conversation turned towards visiting the resort, the Captain's thoughts shifted inward. They'd all been through a lot in a very short amount of time -- shoreleave had seemed like such a wonderful idea when the Adelphi limped its way back to a Federation starbase. But Irynya was right: 88% of his crew had been reassigned, heading off in hundreds of different directions. For the 12% that remained clustered together -- now waiting for whatever their future assignment would be -- Kodak could understand how his absence could, perhaps, be a source of concern to those who looked to him for confidence about the future. Irynya's compliment jogged the Captain from his mental isolation, causing him to smile in response.

"Thank you, Irynya," he rasped, nodding slowly. "Both for the sentiment and the reminder. My villa rental was only for the two weeks we expected to be here. Now that we know it will be quite a bit longer than that," Björn's eyes shifted back and forth from Irynya to Andrew and back, "I might think about moving to the resort, actually. Not that I don't enjoy our quiet beach time," he smiled at his companion. "But since we are going to be here so long, it might help them. And honestly, maybe help me a little too," Björn nodded slowly. "What do you think, sexy? If I moved over there, you'd probably end up meeting a lot more of my crew. And you," he smirked at Irynya, "do you think having the Captain around would be a killjoy for anyone?"

"So you'd be bringing me home to meet your folks?" Andrew joked. The implication was that his crew was his family, and Andrew had a feeling that it may not be far from the truth, so he adopted a more earnest tone. "I'd be honored. Especially if they're all as nice as Irynya here." He gestured towards her with the hand still holding the dessert, accompanying it with a smile, then dutifully went back to making it disappear so that Björn wouldn't feel obliged to eat any more of it.

Irynya smiled at the two men, blushing lightly when Andrew indicated her as an example of what he would hope the other crew were like. "I doubt having you around would be a killjoy," she added by way of answer to Kodak's question. "If anything I think it might calm some who are feeling somewhat..." she searched for the right word, "...untethered?" The end of the sentence came up into a question as if she wasn't quite certain this was the term she wanted. "Besides, it's not as though we're not all fairly used to close quarters. It's a little strange not to be bumping into everyone from day to day for a duty rotation."

"I can understand that feeling," the Captain nodded slowly. While shore leave was, by all rights, supposed to be about self care, Kodak still had a responsibility to his crew. And as much as he loved his little seaside vila, perhaps he wasn't serving his crew in the best way that he could given such a difficult time. Looking away from Irynya, Björn's eyes fell on Marteli: he felt badly that she wasn't really part of the conversation but then, she hadn't tried to strike up conversation while Irynya had been fetching spoons, nor had she inserted herself afterward. Perhaps the woman was just more comfortable operating on the periphery when it came to these kinds of situations? "You've a lovely planet here, by the way," Björn offered to her, fixing Marteli with a smile.

"Thank you," Marteli replied, inclining her head in acknowledgement of the compliment. "We're partial to it certainly and happy to share it with you." Ever the consummate Risian, Iry's friend paused there. Irynya knew that she was being polite and that, though she'd normally talk a person's ear off if she knew them well, she was creating space for Iry to interact with a person who, undoubtedly, played a large role in her day to day life.

Realizing that they had been talking for some time now, Irynya handed Marteli the last few bites of Delly Ice and grinned, looping her arm through her friend's free arm. "We should probably be on our way then, sir," she noted indicating with her posture as much as her words that it was time to move on to their next stop. "If there's anything you need to get settled at the Grand Delphinium look me up. I'm glad to help!"

"It was lovely to meet you," Andrew smiled, noting the two Risians making moves to leave. "Sounds like we may be bumping into each other more often." Somehow, the chance meeting with Irynya made him feel closer to Björn. Being seen together by someone from Björn's professional life was hardly meeting the folks, but it felt like a step had been taken nonetheless.

"Marteli, it was a pleasure," Björn bowed his head slightly to the woman. "Lieutenant," he offered to Irynya, smiling, "despite my initial reaction -- and again, I apologize," he said sincerely, "it was very nice running into you. Hope you both have a pleasant day. Thanks for sharing this, by the way," the Chameloid's eyes were kind as they flicked to the Delly Ice still in Andrew's hands. The man was in the midst of downing the last bite before tossing the disposable bowl and spoon into a nearby trash bin. "See you at the resort, I'd say," Björn nodded with finality and then turned, taking Andrew by the hand and leading him down the street.

Andrew, still in his harness...

Björn, still in his leather, faux-Starfleet uniform...

Irynya and Marteli giggling at something or other as they walked.


=/\= A joint post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer, Unassigned

and

Doctor Andrew Munro
Biologist, Federation Science Council

and

Lieutenant JG Irynya
Secondary Flight Controller, Unassigned

and

Marteli (NPC of Irynya)
Provider of Delly Ice