Uh-Oh, Spaghetti-O!

Posted on Sun Aug 14th, 2011 @ 6:57pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & http://starbase900.info/index.php/personnel/character/23
Edited on on Fri Jun 22nd, 2012 @ 2:35pm

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Oralia's Quarters

In her terrarium in a small alcove of the apartment Oralia Zeferino was now sharing with Connor McKinney, Iggy, the only eight-legged roommate in the apartment, burrowed under a layer of wood shavings and chips. She buried herself until only her eyes could be seen (of course, from the observer's position, the lump where Iggy had 'hidden' herself was quite apparent. The spider was a touch too large to effectively hide in the terrarium); leaving her eyes visible let her watch as a shadow passed back and forth outside her alcove. It was the new human, the male Connor; Oralia wasn't home.

Oralia wasn't in her office, either, nor anywhere where an incoming call could reach her. Indeed, she'd removed her commbadge and was in the midst of calling it quits as Gilroy thoroughly trounced her in a sparring match. So it was that the incoming call was routed without Oralia's knowledge to her quarters; the comms officer in charge of doing so figured that the caller could simply leave a message for the Security Chief.

Said comm officer wasn't, however, aware that Connor McKinney was in the quarters and that Connor might, since he was 'home', answer the call. As the connection was made, the image of a human woman with pale blonde-and-grey hair cut short around her ears and pale grey eyes came up on the screen. The woman squinted and, slightly disconcerted, asked, "Who are you, young man? I asked to be connected to Oralia."

Pulling himself away from the report he had been reading, Connor leaned forward, relaxing an arm on top of the desk, as he shifted in his seat, "Doctor Connor McKinney, Ma'am. Oralia is not here." Looking at her thoughtfully, he asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The woman frowned, leaned in a little closer to her screen then backed off a bit. "The Doctor McKinney? The one who crashed with Oralia?" Her expression was unreadable.

As much as he wanted to get back to his reading, he 'was' curious. His eyebrows came towards each other as he stared back in return. He slightly dipped and angled his head, "Yes, the same, ma'am...and you are...?"

Her smile broke like a morning sun over a horizon. "Oh, Dr. McKinney," she gushed, obviously delighted, "We've been wanting to thank you! What you did for Oralia, our family.... Just wonderful. Really." She beamed at him and then her smile faltered slightly. "Wait... are you in Oralia's quarters? Is she okay?"

"Yes, I am, 'n' she is well...," and then he saw the resemblance. "Are you Oralia's Mum?", he said, giving her a smile.

"I am, yes. I'm Nadia Conradi," she nodded but her brows stayed knit together. "If Oralia's fine and not there, then why are you in her quarters, Dr. McKinney?"

Holding his breath, Connor averted his eyes downwards as he leaned back in his seat. Normally straightforward, he found himself struggling, this was Oralia's mother after all. He looked back to her, clearing his throat, "I live here."

"Really?" Her tone implied disbelief and, possibly, disapproval. "Hold on just a moment, would you?" She didn't give him time to answer before she slid back from the screen and called for someone to come join her. A man, tall and broad shouldered appeared and the two had a brief conversation. They drew closer to the screen again and Oralia's coloring was evident on the man: black hair and hard blue eyes regarded Connor.

"You're livin' with our Oralia?" He made it sound like it was a bad idea to do so.

Swallowing, stiffening, finding himself uncomfortable as he sat up straighter, Connor stared back at the man, "Yes, Sir", he said, studying the two of them, wondering what this would all mean when all was said and done.

The man peered at Connor harder, as if trying to find a visual fault with the young man. He didn't look happy and as a minute ticked by, he started to look even less happy. He opened his mouth and drew a breath but whatever he was going to say was cut off by the swish of doors opening and Oralia calling, "Connor! If you didn't... oh, hi, babe." She beamed at him then she simultaneously looked around the edge of the console and asked, "What are you.... Ohmigosh." She jerked upright, staring at Connor, and actually turned a shade paler, turning the bruise on her cheek a more lurid shade of purple.

From the console, her dad called, "Oralia! Come 'round where your mother and I can see you!"

Oz was caught for a brief moment like a deer in the headlights. Shaking her hands, she recovered and quickly swung around the desk to ...well... she would have sat in the desk chair, but Connor was there... and sitting in his lap... possibly not a good idea at the moment. "This young man says he's living with you, sweetheart," her mother said sweetly.

Realizing the damage was done, Oralia sat in Connor's lap, kissed his cheek and smiled at her parents. "He is. Mom, Dad, this is Connor; Connor, this is... uh... Nadia and Zeferon, my folks."

Connor relaxed his arms around her, imitating her smile as he continued to stare at the screen.

"Yes, dear, we'd gotten past that... is that a bruise on your cheek?" Nadia's brow knit together again. Then she got a sly smile and said, "Good thing you have a doctor in the house."

Oz chuckled, would have laughed, but the look on her dad's face was... unnerving. She'd seen it before. "It is. Connor takes good care of me," she squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

Connor continued to smile right along with her; his smile leaving once as he gave her bruise a quick look over.

If anything, that statement made Zeferon's face even harder. Suddenly, he spoke, "Oralia Navin, you should have told us you were moving in with someone. We shouldn't find out this way." His jaw set and he glared at Connor, "Just because you saved her life doesn't mean you can fool around and hurt her, young man." With that, he stormed off.

Connor's mouth opened as if to respond, but then closed again. Inwardly, he groaned. Not a good start with a man who he one day hoped to get a blessing from.

Oralia dropped her face into her hand and her mother cleared her throat. "Well, dear. He's a man of few words and he's right," she paused till Oralia nodded, "Anyway, call me later when you're not...," her gaze went over Connor, "busy. We worry about you, you know."

"Yes, Mom, I'll call you. Love you," Oralia smiled at her mom and the connection closed. Immediately, she sank against Connor and buried her head in his shoulder. "Ohgodsthatwasbad."

Connor's head had dropped, he had let go of her with one hand as he pinched between his eyes. "Explain to me what this all means...", he said quietly.

"It means that Chance told Mom to call me, the little shit," she muttered and kissed his cheek. Sitting up a bit, she smiled at him. "The good thing, though, is that Dad doesn't have a darned thing against you. If he did, he'd have been happy."

Their faces close together, Connor studied her, realizing he had very little anxiety from the 'ordeal', "Not ever going to let his little chick go, is he?" he genuinely smiled.

"I'm his only daughter, though hardly his little princess," she said, pausing to kiss him. "At least there won't be any other such calls. At least, not until Chance tells Arch, Harry and Thad about you. Don't get caught in a room alone with the four of them, okay? They tend to be a little ...rough... on the guys I date."

"I can take care of myself", his smile fell. "You need not concern yourself."

"Oh, but I will, hon," she touched his cheek gently, "they can be jerks. And they know an awful lot of my secrets." She noticed his expression and asked, "Did I just say something wrong?"

He stared back at her, not caring for the conversation. "There's nothing they could say to change how I feel about you", he declared, and then changing his focus to only her, he gently turned her face to get a good look at her own bruised cheek, "What happened? How'd you get this bruise?"

"Gilroy surprised me with a round kick aimed at my neck; I didn't duck fast enough." Smirking at her own failure, she asked, "Have you had dinner? I have to be at the Nexus Club tonight, on duty. We could have dinner there and then you could either stay and enjoy the show or come home."

"Sounds good", he said, lightly running a hand along her bruised cheek, and sweeping back some loose hair behind her shoulders before adding, "But not until I heal this bruise", he said, looking as if he wanted to do so much more, "...'n' check you over for any other injuries."

"Check me over?" She gave him a sly grin. "That sounds like more fun than going out." Pulling gently on his hair, she kissed him thoroughly, making it clear that she was on board for doing so much more.

___________________________
LC Oralia Zeferino
Still Daddy's Girl

Lt. Connor McKinney
Able to Hold His Own

Nadia Conradi
Zeferon Zeferino
Mom and Dad