Round 1

Posted on 20 May 2014 @ 12:32pm by Commander Luke Wyatt & Commander Scarlet Blake

2,401 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 2 - Corridor
Timeline: MD 02 - 1400 hrs

ON:

Scarlet walked down the corridor with a brisk, punishing pace. Her jaw was tight and breath caught in her throat, her eyes a darker shade of blue than usual as she stared straight ahead but didn't really see anything.

She'd finished the delightful task of seeing the Cardassians off of the ship, and the anger and swell of emotion had been building on her walk back from the transporter room.

She rounded a corner at high speed, body tense and lips parted as she dragged in a shaking breath.

To make their labour of working with the Cardassians even harder, the Captain had invited them to a meal with them. A meal, for them to eat with them.

Eating with Cardassians.

Sharing a table, a civilised union, with them.

Scarlet's hand hit the bulkhead with frustration as she walked faster, her lips moving as she swore silently with it.

She turned sharply through a set of double doors and into a dimly lit storage room that was thankfully empty.

Leaning against the wall, she breathed hard, closing her eyes for a moment to catch her breath and calm herself, and her anger, down.

Sliding down, Scarlet ended up sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall, her legs pulled close to her, arched so that she could rest her arms on her knees as she watched her hands with a frown.

Shuck He thought. Luke had been strolling through the corridor clearing his own head when he caught sight of Scarlet just up ahead of him. Just about to catch up and say something she dived into one of the storage rooms. Standing just out of range from the doors he stood clueless as what to do, he had pivoted twice already to walk of and leave her to her own but that very loud and encouraging voice inside his head told him to see what was wrong.

Shuck it He thought again before walking in through the doors and scanned the room, seeing Scarlet huddled against the wall with her legs brought in tight to her chest clamped down by her arms she looked as if she could be lost. Luke's heart down that odd flip as he gulped and walked over to her. With out saying a word he slid down the wall and sat next to her, their arms brushing briefly before Luke shifted more to his left.

Scarlet looked across to him with surprise for a long moment, holding her breath. Her instinct was to school her features back to a calm and in control expression, and straighten herself up. Maybe it was because she was too tired to with the constant inner battle with their current situation...or maybe it was because she trusted Luke and knew he wouldn't go spreading rumours about their First Officer in a bad mood. Either way, she didn't change her expression or pose, she remained as she was, nudging her elbow back to his. "You know, I think I prefer marine basic training over days like these," she laughed softly, shaking her head, trying to get herself back into better spirits.

"You and me must have gone to two different places if that's true what you just said" Luke smiled thankful that despite her protectiveness of her thoughts and emotions she wasn't just going to dismiss him.
"So, gonna tell me what up or am I going to have to go back to basics to get it out of you" he gave a her a playful push with his shoulder's regretting it instantly. He hated being this close to Blake.

She rocked with it, smiling weakly as she let out a tight breath. "I don't deal well with Cardassians," she admitted quietly. "And that's just between you and me. The last thing we need with the tension here is it being known that the First Officer doesn't like being around them either. I'm trying to keep a lid on it, but...well...having to sit down and break bread with them..."

"Its like sitting across from you worst nightmare" Closing his eye's the images of memories and visions flashed through his head. All involving Cardassians and the dominions. Before he could control what he was seeing flashes of bodies strobed through his mind. Shaking his head "It gives me the creeps just being on the same ship I don't envy you at all"

She looked across to him with a small, half smile, but it was there all the same as she rested her hands on her knees. "You do a good job of hiding your discomfort."

"Try telling that to the countless punch bags and holodeck entities" He joked "I don't hide it I just let myself release my discomfort somewhere I can hurt anyone. I don't like the cardassians as much as the next guy but they were soldiers fighting in a war, if they had won things would have been different and I know that not all of them were happy with it either"

Luke rested his hand on top of hers not out of passion but to comfort her "I hated every part of the war and it tore me apart but its over and its people like you and me that have to live with it, all those crewman out there that never knew what it was like wont ever understand which is why we have to show them that moving forward, away from the past is the only direction" He paused "We should spar there's nothing better for stress relief and it may not be one of your orthodox counselling suggestions but you look like you could do with some and besides I'm an unorthodox kinda guy" Standing up looked held out his hands willing her to get up from her position "Come on I'll go easy on you"

Scarlet arched an eyebrow with mild surprise at the suggestion, looking up to him before smiling. She reached up to take his hands, using the grip to pull herself up. "Sparring. I like that idea," she admitted, taking a deep breath. He was right. With all he'd said. And she knew it. It was part of why it was so hard, keeping up the pretense of not caring either way. She didn't want to make things worse in such a tense atmosphere. Sparring was probably the closest thing she was going to get to burning some of that frustration off. "Only if you promise not to go easy on me...."

Luke's grin grew "Oh... I can promise to that!"

---

USS Galileo: Deck 7 - Workout Room

Scarlet reached up over her head as she stretched out on the mat in the workout room, feeling a little more energised already. She watched Luke with a small smile, her dark hair securely tied back. "Any rules?"

Not having time to go back an change he had removed his shirt uniform leaving just his boots and trouser remaining. Tying rag around both his hands he rolled his shoulder backwards and then forwards "Lets just not kill one another?" He joked walking towards the centre of the mat "Remember the 'underground' fights back in basic? I'm assuming you girlie's did them to" He winked "Well I was a short lived champ" he bragged hoping to encourager her more to fight like a Marine than a XO.

Scarlet couldn't help but watch him for a moment. That was a body that advertised what being a marine could do for a man. She chuckled softly as she moved forward to him, her body taught but not tense as she lifted her hands, shaking her head with a smile. "Short lived, hm? Who took your title? One of the 'girlies'?"

"Actually I killed a man" He said seriously but before he could hold in his laughter "Sorry I'm no good at lying" He held out his fist for her to tap "Ready girlie" He was going to enjoy this.

Scarlet laughed with him, but had been caught by the fib for just a moment then. "Bastard..." she touched her fist to his before smacking him in the side, already on the move from him. It had only been one hit, but man, it had proved he was solid. Solid muscle. This was going to be more difficult for the slender First Officer.

Luke had bit his lip when her fist impacted his side, she was stronger than she looked. "Try to keep hits bellow the neck but I wont say sorry if things get a little heated" He said before stepping in and faking a jab and then feeling his fist connect to flesh at about 40 percent.

Letting out a sharp breath at the impact, Scarlet lashed out almost purely just for the sake of retaliation, but it was easy for Luke to block the fist. "What was that? You hit like a girl...." she taunted, but there was playfulness rather than harshness in her eyes as she made for a punch, but while he was distracted with blocking it, she snapped her foot sharply for the joint of his knee.

With his knee crashing to the deck and causing him to tumble he smiled, shaking of the burst of attacks he pushed himself up of the floor. "I just don't want to hurt you," he moved forward unleashing a volley of blows left, right and left before twisting on his right foot following through with his other towards her gut.

She blocked and defended herself the best she could, but still caught some of the hits, hardening her stomach muscles to take them as best she could, but he had some swing and weight on him. Gasping with pain, she had to catch her breath, bent forward with it a little. She tilted her head up to watch him, the energy that had been boiling from anger and frustration inside of her for the last few days coming to the surface as she ran forward to him, grabbing at him hard, using the momentum and the pressure of her foot on his already victimised knee to try and throw him off balance enough to either push, trip or grapple.

Taken by surprise form the sudden outburst Luke could see she was finally realising all that energy she had kept hidden not just about the cardassians but he could see a flare in her that he had never seen, to soon he found himself being ground into the floor as he stumbled and lost balance tipping backwards. Grabbing hold of her in one last desperate attempt he grappled her shoulders pulling her with him and jabbing her in the gut, twisting so he hoped she would hit the ground first. Over estimating himself he only found himself fully spinning. As his back hit the floor he gasped for air as it all flooded out of his lungs.

Scarlet was sent tumbling with him at the strength of his grip on her, rolling across the floor. She was little more lucky; while he hit the wall that winded him, she hit him....but to be fair, that was only marginally better, with how solid his muscular frame was. She had to take a moment to recover too, the pain in her middle from his hits making her breath tight and shaky. She forced herself to scrabble up onto her knees, moving over him with the last of her energy. She straddled him, grabbing at his wrists to try and pin him, but she knew he was, obviously, physically stronger than him. She put her weight down onto her hands gripping and pinning him to try and compensate. "Yield?"

Luke smiled deviously he couldn't help the mild mixed emotions he was feeling but suppressed them quickly, just as quickly as he forced himself over on top of her now straddling her with her arms pressed just enough so she could have some movement. "You should know me better" He winked.

She laughed breathlessly despite her pain....maybe even because of it. Frankly, even the burn of pain felt good after so long keeping herself calm. She tried to press up against his grip, but only ended up groaning at the effort and barely rocking him. "I swear, you're sheer bloody muscle!"

Letting loose her arms he sat up straight "No, I think I've got quiet fat lately your just all... Girly!" He teased. He couldn't help but stare into her magnificent eyes every time he tried to steal himself away he could only look more deeply until finally something broke the trance.

"Not a chance," she laughed good naturedly, reaching a hand up to him, trying to get him to help her sit up.

Taking her hand he helped her up, sliding her from underneath him "So, feel any better yet or do I need to kick you arse again?"

"Better, felling better," she assured quickly as she rested back against the wall. "Oh, it's been too long since I've sparred with a Marine," she laughed breathlessly, shaking her head against the wall. "No one else does it quite like it...."

"You know that's not the only thing Marines are good for right?" Luke hated himself for saying that and only hoped she didn't get what he meant. "Besides You know I care for you...A lot" He hated himself for that to.

Scarlet smiled, nodding as she looked across to him, slapping his thigh with the back of her hand. "Just as well...if you'd have left me in there alone I'd still be there just brooding and wasting energy."

He shrugged "Well that doesn't sound like any Marine I know and you brooding and wasting energy? Maybe we should get you to sick bay because I think your on the crazy pills" Luke leaned into her nudging her shoulder with his.

Scarlet chuckled softly at that, nudging her shoulder back to his. "Sure you don't need the doc more? I managed to get in a hit or two," she winked.

"Oh please I whooped you're butt, I'm pretty sure I won that." He smiled enjoying the small alone time they shared together, even if it was beating two bells out of each other.

OFF:

SCPO Luke Wyatt
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

 

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