Fistful of Whisky

Posted on 01 Feb 2022 @ 6:43pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Ember Locksley & Petty Officer 3rd Class Helliun 'Hel' Inant
Edited on on 15 Feb 2022 @ 8:00pm

3,837 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Regula I - Level 16, Bar
Timeline: MD 03, 2010 hrs

[ON]

The Axan'ka female's yellow eyes were focused on her glass of whisky in front of her, studying the liquid before taking the glass and knocking back the contents of it. The burning sensation was oddly comforting, even the twinge of her new scar. Hel was waiting. After the Trial, she had been lucky. All she had left the ship with was the slash to her face, which she had refused them to heal. Her people believed in skin healing naturally, the scars part of their journey.

Although the first three weeks she had hated the fact that her people were so backwards with medical technology yet so forward with other things.

She was here because of the Trial. This bar anyway. She had asked Ember for drinks. After everything that had happened, it would be good to see her outside of sickbay, away from things. Out of uniform. And Hel liked being out of uniform. She liked braiding her hair rather than tying it up and out of the way. She liked the tight clothes that you could replicate.

She didn't watch the time. Watching it did not make the sun rise or set any quicker, or the storms cease. Ember would come when she would come and nothing would change that. So Hel ordered another drink, motioning with her hand and giving an almost wicked smile to the bartender before winking. "I think I will have a lot more of these before the night is over," she warned in a throaty whisper.

"Not too many I hope," Ember's voice came from behind her, the redhead leaning in close to look over her shoulder at what she was drinking. "I don't think I'm strong enough yet to carry you to your room," she warned with a teasing smile as she slid down into the stool next to her. She was feeling better though. After three months of being grounded in her quarters on medical recovery, she better had.

"Don't worry about that..." Hel said and smiled as she leant closer to her. "I will still be able to walk to my quarters..." she winked before she took her in, just studying her. "Nice seeing you out of sickbay, Ember. You had me worried." Actually, Hel had assumed she had died. So when she had learned she had survived she had been relieved. "I would have hated to have to find another person to drink with."

"No, somehow, I don't think you'd hate that at all," Ember looked to her with playfully narrowed eyes, giving a small smile. She motioned to the bartender, leaning forward on the bar. She'd been forced off drink during her recovery period. She intended to catch up on time lost. "I'll have a martini, thank you."

"Oh please..." Hel chuckled and ran a finger over the rim of her glass. "It took me long enough to find you. Not many doctors I can see on a weekly basis in sickbay and then drag out for drinks." She tilted her head to the side, breathing deeply. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm perfectly fine and if I'm not allowed to get back to work soon, I may actually have to start a private clinic in my quarters." Ember quirked an eyebrow before giving her a long sideglance. "So perhaps I am a little tired..."

"Yeah, don't lie to me," Hel said and turned to face her properly. "I know it took about four weeks before my face felt...better. And you got it all a lot worse than I did. Takes the body and spirit time to recharge, especially in space where you can't draw on the planet's strength."

"I do miss the sun sometimes," Ember agreed with a soft smile, shaking her head. She reached out to the scar on Hel's face, seeing that she'd resisted having it removed. "Your clan would be pleased," she said knowingly.

"My clan would never forgive me if they found out I had removed such an event from my body and spirit," Hel said, not pulling away from the touch. "I miss the sands and suns. But we are here, amongst creation itself. Perhaps that will be enough."

"We shall find out," there was a touch of mischief in Ember's eyes for just a moment before she sat back as the waiter brought her drink over. "Thank you," she said softly, pulling the glass closer. She took a careful sip, sighing at the simple but strong drink. "I have been waiting for that for three months..."

"At least your liver had a chance to recover," Hel said with a small smile, sipping her drink rather than knocking it back. "After all, as a medical professional, you have to set an example to all of us. A very good example..." she rolled her eyes before laughing. "Patience and sobriety and exercise and good diet..."

Ember tilted her head from side to side with each of the words Hel listed, her eyes lifted in something close to an eyeroll but not quite. "Have you heard the human expression 'do as I say, not as I do?'"

Hel clearly thought about it before she frowned. "Now that it a stupid expression. It's too long, it should just be 'do as I say'. Enough said if you ask me." She chuckled as she met her eyes, searching Ember's for a long moment. "I am just glad to have you back beside me. When everything went to shit, I was worried about you."

Ember gave a smile at that, nudging her shoulder gently to hers. "Thank you. It was...tough. I've only just got rid of the stick I used to get around with. All of those years travelling, and never something quite like that."

Hel chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, looking at her for a moment. "There is no shame needing something to help you when you need it," she said softly before she winked. "Although you should have gotten me. I'd have carried you around..."

"And I would never have heard the end of it!" Ember laughed with wide eyes, taking her martini to gently tap against Hel's whisky glass once it was handed to her. "Okay...here is to the Trial and friends who will never be absent to us."

Hel nodded, raising her glass at the words. "Their bodies may be gone, but their spirits sail the universe," she whispered and knocked it back, closing her eyes for a moment before she opened them and smiled.

"So, enough about my scrapes and bruises," Ember said softly as she set the glass carefully down. "What have you been up to since we last saw each other," she preferred that way of phrasing it at least.

Hel put her own glass down, watching her for a moment. "Been spending...a lot of time alone. They didn't let me go and work. Not...having the right clearances. So I went to these...art classes with an Orion lady. Boring. I hate art. Then I went through the music libraries instead, that was more fun. In truth? I have been bored, Ember. So bored."

Ember chuckled gently, able to imagine that of the desert soul. "You didn't want to try the groups the chaplain ran then?" she asked lightly. She suspected that Hel would find it hard to trust a spiritual person that wasn't a matriarch.

Hel shook her head, smiling weakly. "I was tempted. But when I was tempted I was also comfortable in a bed, curled up, so...I kept putting it off," she admitted and sighed, tipping her head back. "And I wasn't allowed to go fighting in case I got a hit to the face, so that left the training sessions out."

Ember nodded with a small smile, her eyes shining with humour for a moment. "I hope you were able to catch up with the Holst I recommended?" she asked lightly.

"I did," Hel leant closer at the words, her eyes shining. "I thought...Jupiter was just stunning. Although I found 'In the Bleak Midwinter' just...no...no thank you. Not for me."

Ember laughed softly at that, surprised that she'd actually bothered to listen to her recommendation. She knew her people preferred singing over orchestral music. "Well, I was rather thinking of The Planets when I made the recommendation," she assured.

"I got through a lot of it. Still have a lot left...all the military ones," Hel said before she reached to touch her hand, her own resting over it. "Have you had the chance to go to the holodeck since they released you from sickbay?"

"No!" Ember watched her with wide eyes. "Honestly, Hel, I swear they saw I was a doctor and treated me five times more harshly than a normal patient," but there was a lilt of laughter in her words that said she didn't truly mean it.

"Was it the nurses? I bet it was the nurses..." Hel said lightly, smiling as she watched her. "It's because they know how bad you medical people are. You never take care of yourself! 'Oh, it's just a sprained wrist'....then you go and carry stuff even if it hurts. It's not a human trait, I have learned that...it is a medical trait."

"It's hubris," Ember agreed with a half smile, shaking her head before taking an appreciative sip of her drink. "You think you can beat it, because you know its secrets."

"Hubris..." Hel spoke the word as if she was tasting it, her lips pressing together as she thought it over. She finally smiled and shook her head. "That is a common thing. You can believe you have the steadiest tent, and then the sandstorms come and you find yourself huddled with your beasts to survive it."

Ember nodded gently, smiling softly at the way she put it. Maybe it wasn't such a human trait after all. "The desert taught you a lot," she said with warmth. "Beautiful, but harsh and testing."

Hel smiled gently as she sipped her drink, studying her face. "You did enjoy some time there. The red sand of the desert is...harsh on the skin, yet warm and comforting. Of course..." she paused and her eyes suddenly shined darker as she held Ember's eyes. "You are a desert flower as well, my travelling friend."

Ember smiled warmly at the compliment, shaking her head as she looked to her. "Your desert was beautiful, I enjoyed my time there. But you are the desert flower. Any life that survives and flourishes in that kind of place? It's going to be stronger for it."

Hel chuckled, her voice raspy with it as she held her eyes. "You flatter. You survived there too...and you have survived a lot. This experience...our old ship...we will remember it until our last breath. But we have grown stronger from it."

"It is the only thing we can do," Ember agreed, shaking her head with a smile of appreciation. "So what are your well earned plans for rest and relaxation?" she asked with genuine curiosity, unsure what an Axan'ka would enjoy doing on a scientific starbase.

"Well, I was hoping for some karaoke, but..." Hel shook her head, pretending to be annoyed. "I don't think they really do 'fun' here. I could really do with some music as well, you know?"

"I do know," Ember assured with a soft chuckle. She knew how important singing and music was to the Axan'ka. "Maybe you can persuade the bar manager to run an open stage night?"

Hel clearly looked like she was considering it before she looked at the bartender. "You should do an open stage night. There are a lot of people with the desire to sing off-key."

He laughed, having been half paying attention to their chatter as he prepped a new round of glasses. "With an incentive like that, how can I say no..." he replied with no small amount of sarcasm.

"You can't," Hel stood to lean over the bar, closer to him, her yellow eyes shining in the artificial light. She cocked her head slightly to the side, breathing in deeply through her nose. "Singing, raising your voice to the heavens...it makes the blood rise and the throat dry. Drinking is enhanced. People join in. They drink more..." she sat down again, heavily, her hands hitting the bar in a light rhythm. "Not to sound like a Ferengi, but it is good for profit..." she winked and looked at Ember, biting her lip. "She agrees. She has seen it."

"I'm also a doctor," Ember assured with a smile of amusement, lifting her glass to him in salute. "And I support this message," she gave an innocent look with wide eyes watching him over the rim of her glass as she sipped her drink delicately.

"See, the doctor supports this!" Hel smiled and saw the bartender smile to Ember, clearly watching her before he moved away. She leant closer to the other woman. "I think he wants to snuggle your box..." she whispered, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Perhaps you should let him know where you are staying."

Ember tutted and shook her head, nudging her shoulder to hers as she laughed softly. "Hel! You are terrible! He must be ten years younger than me. And not lacking for attention," she motioned with her finger to the other people at the bar. "Maybe *you're* the one who wants him to know where *you're* staying."

Hel laughed loudly, shaking her head before she looked at the man over at the bar, cocking her head to the side as she watched him with the eyes of a predator. "I would snap his thing in half," she suddenly said and then looked back at Ember. "By accident, of course. No. And also, age...does not matter. You are beautiful and strong, with experience. Anyone would be lucky to have you warming their bed."

Ember shook her head with a soft laugh, half resting against the bar as she sipped her drink. "I can assure you, there's been absolutely no bed warming going on. Besides...Starfleet people are a strange lot."

"They are, but strange likes strange..." Hel bit her lip thoughtfully, just watching the other woman. "Although I suppose you've not been in the mood for it the last few months. I don't blame you."

"Not just the mood, I don't think my body would have held out," Ember laughed softly, her eyes shining with it as she watched her with warmth. "But why are we talking about my lack of conquests when your hunt would be far more interesting?"

"My conquests have been...quiet of late," Hel admitted with a sigh and sat back, to look at the people around. "I spent too much time with my hands on my arse, with nothing to do. I experienced boredom. We do not have a word for it at home because there is always something to be mended, hunted, killed or cleaned..." she glanced at Ember before she shrugged. "I am anxious to get back on duty, to fill the hours."

Ember smiled softly to her, watching her with fondness. She loved that about Hel and her people. They turned their hands to everything, and they were stronger for it. "Rest is good for people too. To...gather your thoughts, process what's happened, work out the future. Clear the mind."

"If my mind was any clearer, you'd be able to see your reflection in it," Hel said and waved a hand impatiently. "What happened was written and we survived it. Healing is good, even talking to process it is good to a certain point. I have wallowed enough in my own tears, I am ready to rebuild..." she held her eyes, her breath catching for a moment as it usually did when he was struggling between speaking standard and slipping into her own language and hoping the translators could keep up.

Ember gave a knowing, half smile at that. Yes, perhaps her approach had been rather too human. She should have known better. Is that what she'd been doing? Wallowing? "I'll be honest with you, I can't wait to be allowed back into a sickbay for the right reasons," she admitted with a soft chuckle. "I feel useless when I'm not *doing* something."

"Mm..." she nodded and reached for Ember's hand, squeezing it quickly. "I feel it too. Not long now...and we can go and do what we do best. Our duty. Rather than sitting around here, growing stale."

"Fixing up bodies and fixing up ships?" Ember summarised with a soft laugh, her blue eyes shining with humour as she watched her.

"I'll keep the outside ticking and you keep the insides ticking..." Hel said before she grinned, sitting her back. "And together we will make it through on the other side. No matter what...I have your back. I will not let you be harmed again."

"What happened last time was hardly your fault," Ember shook her head firmly. "You don't have to promise me that. I know what the deal is when you're exploring. I'd rather you focussed on keeping yourself safe."

Hel's smile faded and she pushed herself up, leaning closer to Ember. She held her eyes and reached out, to gently touch her chin. "Ember," her voice was almost a low growl. "I promise by blood and sand, if I can prevent you getting hurt...I will do so." She let go and looked away. "It may not have been my fault, but it doesn't mean I want to feel...the potential loss of you again, my friend."

Ember watched her with warmth, touched by the sincerity. It had felt like a long time since she'd been...accepted somewhere. After so long travelling amongst communities, Starfleet sometimes felt pretty cold. "Come on then," she pushed herself up, sliding her arm through Hel's. "In that case, you can see me back to my room..."

"It will be my pleasure," Hel moved with her, her eyes shining. "And perhaps...I can also stay with you. Just to sleep, I...must admit I am tiring a little easier than usual. I blame the rest and relaxation..."

"Get a couple of drinks, something to eat...I promise I'll even forget I'm a doctor and won't lecture either of us as we do bad things to ourselves..." Ember chuckled softly, running a hand back through Hel's red hair out of habit to neaten it.

Hel leant into it, chuckling at the pull as she encountered a knot. She didn't mind the twinge of pain, her eyes studying her as she walked with her. "You know I won't care if you lecture me," she breathed, teasingly as they walked. "Drink and food sounds perfect right now."

"That's not what you said last time when I told you that fried food was bad for your, well, pretty much everything..." Ember tutted, shaking her head with a playfully wistful sigh.

Hel growled at the words before she leant to whisper in her ear as they walked. "It is better than raw meat," she said, but it was all playful. She wasn't sure her people had ever been cannibals, even with some of the stories told around the fire. "Although I'd take a bite out of you any day, Ember..."

Ember laughed, shaking her head as she pushed her shoulder. "You might get away with that and the naïve tourists, but not me."

Hel groaned and rolled her eyes. "You are no fun," she teased, leading her to her quarters. "Let us get you tucked into bed, my sweet. I suspect we can have a lot of fun tomorrow."

"Let's hope so," Ember smiled softly, easing down with a soft breath of relief at taking the weight off of her feet. "I will never let you hear the end of it if you leave me behind," she warned, but with warmth.

Hel smiled, moving her hand down her leg before taking off her shoes. "I expect nothing less, Ember. You know it and I know it. For now, our fates are entwined."

She let her do it with trust, wriggling her toes gently with a sigh. "I hope so. You...remind me of the time I spent out in the wilds. Living amongst people like you. Meeting new people and finding out new manners and ways of life with each new destination. It seems a long time ago now though."

"Not that long ago," Hel said and put the shoes to the side and stood. She touched her cheek, stroking it for a moment. "Although this more sterile way of meeting new people and cultures has its benefits. Baths, for instance."

"Who needs a bath when you have the still waters in the glade? Or the oasis in the sands?" Ember shook her head with a soft laugh.

"The water of the oasis never agreed with my hair," Hel said before she winked and got out of her own shoes. She moved onto the bed as well, stretching out before she reached to touch Ember's hair. "Yours is so shiny."

"Well, I'm not going to lie, I can't claim that's glade water either," Ember turned her head to look at her with a wicked smile after all her posturing, arching an eyebrow. "Don't listen to me. You know what they say. The grass is always greener on the other side."

"Mm...especially after what we've been through," Hel said before she ran a finger down her cheek. She smiled and eased her head down, closing her eyes. "I am wondering if I need to see the counsellor again."

"Well it can't do any harm," Ember pointed out with a small, half smile. "At worst, you have a wasted hour, but on the other hand if they can help it was worth every second. Healing is more than just physical to the body."

Hel made a noise in her throat before she opened an eye to look at her, pulling Ember closer. "Seems sensible to me. Although I doubt I'd be sent out to hunt in the desert until I stop feeling."

"I doubt a Starfleet counsellor would find that a healthy prescription," Ember chuckled as she settled with her, closing her eyes with a sigh. "No matter how practical it is where you are from."

"I think they would have more Klingons coming if they did," Hel chuckled and placed her head on her shoulder, where she could smell her. "Better. I could rest here."

"Me too," Ember let out a long, relaxing breath as she settled an arm above her head, her eyes closing heavier with it. After three months of being alone in recovery, she finally felt like she was coming back into the light.

[OFF]

--

PO1 Ember Locksley
Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

PO3 Helliun 'Hel' Inant
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

RSS Feed