Back To The Beach

Posted on Wed Jul 1st, 2015 @ 12:42pm by Lieutenant Commander Gaelan Tor & Commander Adara Gunnar

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Holodeck 2

* Holodeck 2 *

Lt. Commander Gaelan Tor reached to the control panel outside Holodeck 2 and inserted a small chip. The computer beeped and she entered several commands. A little smile lit her face and she was actually humming. The computer beeped once more then spoke in its automated voice.

=^= Holodeck program Tor alpha nine saved, marked private. This program is active, you may enter when ready. =^=

She turned and perked an eyebrow at Adara. “That was easy enough. You ready?”

"Yup. I'll change into a bathing suit in there," Adara nodded and went in as the door opened. She sighed, "It's been too long since we last did this." She disappeared into a tent on the sand. "How was your walk with Tobin?"

Tor followed her and once the doors closed, she entered the other tent to change. “It was the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done,” Tor began, then stopped. “Well almost. I’d meant only to give him a short summary but once I opened my mouth, everything came out.” She stepped out of her tent, dressed in a two piece swimsuit.

Barely dressed in a tiny bikini, Adara stepped out and grinned at Tor. The two piece was quite a difference from their last time on the holodeck, when Tor had stayed covered up. She didn't mention that, though. Instead, she took her position on a lounge chair and ordered a tropical fruity drink from a cabana boy who was just about as naked as she was. She admired the view of his abs. "You know, Isi knows about this program? He appreciates it."

“No! Really? What did he say?” Tor smiled up at another of the cabana boys as he handed her a tall frothy pink drink. “I didn’t know he’d seen it. Tobin finds it endlessly funny.”

"He hasn't seen it, but he reaps the benefits when I get home," Adara laughed, watching as Tor's cabana boy walked away. "He's seen it in my head."

“I’m surprised he hasn’t done like Tobin and just enter, though I locked it this time.” Tor sipped her drink and sat, watching the holographic waves crashing on the beach before them. “I feel a thousand pounds lighter, Adara.” She held her glass out to touch Adara’s. “You are a genius, even though I didn’t appreciate just how much twenty-four hours ago.”

"You look it, too. I worried that arranging to have Tobin transferred here would blow up on me. I'm glad it didn't." A dark-haired cabana boy came over to her with a bottle of lotion. She nodded and turned over to let the hologram rub her back and legs. "I'm glad we're doing this before spending a few days running around Valhalla's space."

“Me too,” Tor answered. “It’s also a nice unwinding after all the travel and all the stress of unloading on Tobin. He was really angry...not at me,” she hurried to add. “But at the situation. He understood why I didn’t tell him, though. You and I both know he would have rushed out to take care of things and ended up in deep trouble. Now, who knows what will happen? We’ll see I guess.” She passed her empty glass to the man waiting and he gave her another. “Thanks, Roger.”

"Exactly. We'll have plenty of time for you and Tobin to either hate each other or... whatever." She knew 'hate' wasn't what they'd end up with. "Is he mad at me? For not telling him where you were?"

“No, he isn’t.” Tor looked over to Adara and smiled. “He knows you only did it because I insisted.” She was quiet for a moment. “He promised to do whatever I needed him to do and to handle all this in whatever way I need to. There was a time when I’d have balked at a man promising to take care of me and protect me but….times change.”

"Mmhmm," Adara agreed. "And such a man to have taking care of you, Tor." She recalled the first time she had met Tobin. It was during one of their sessions in this very holoprogram. At first, she had thought Tobin was part of the program. Maybe that's why he found it so funny.

Tor merely smiled and gave Adara a nod. She understood Adara’s meaning and she was right, though she felt as if they were starting all over and in a sense, they were. She pulled herself back from her thoughts. “Good thing he’s a patient man,” she commented.

"Yup." A silence between the two drew out as they simply appreciated the beach cabana setting.

A gentle breeze stirred and Tor gave an appreciative sigh. “So….since no one has seen you since the meeting, I assume you and Isi are getting caught up?” Tor grinned. “You’ve gone a long time without that lovely man to look at and...appreciate in other ways.”

"We were catching up, yes," Adara nodded then she laughed. "Cody has been taking some of our time to whine at Isi about his tough stasis journey. That dog obeys Isi better than he does me. And I raised him from a puppy!"

“Isi does seem to have some mysterious connection to Cody.” Tor raised an eyebrow at Adara. “And with you too. He has managed to tame the wild animals.” She began to laugh and leaned away to get out of Adara’s reach.

Laughing, Adara fished an ice cube from her drink and tossed it at Tor. "Yeah, he has a box from Greg for me, but won't let me open it yet. He promised I could later tonight."

“From Greg?” Tor’s surprise was evident. “Why would Greg send a box for you with Isi? Don’t tell me they’ve been hanging out while you were gone?”

"Um... I'm not sure. I asked Isi whether it was a chastity belt." Adara grinned as she glanced at Tor.

“Knowing Greg….” Tor laughed once more. “Now I’m curious. You have to tell me what’s in there after you open it. And….if you two are going out tonight, bring Cody to me. I’ll grab Tobin and we can take him out wandering for a bit.”

"If we go out, we'll probably go to the Arboretum. We can take Cody there. But if Isi wants dinner from someplace fancier than Cravings, I'll take you up on your dog-sitting offer," she smiled.

Tor passed off her now-empty glass and took a fresh drink from the attentive holographic Roger. “I must say, the scenery is lovely. I improved the program a little, given 900’s more extensive systems capabilities….fine tuned the men a little especially. Definite improvement. These have a much more extensive conversational repertoire too.”

"Who wants them to talk?" Adara laughed. "All they need to say is 'yes'."

Tor almost choked on her drink and Roger moved in quick to give her a firm pat on the back. Once she’d managed to get the liquid down and stop laughing she spoke. “That reminds me of an awful joke that I picked up on Qo’nos. I tell you, the women there have the best jokes….”

****************
Lt. Commander Gaelan Tor
Enjoying The Scenery

Commander Adara Gunnar
Appreciating Silent Men