A Green-Eyed Beast Stalks The Corridor

Posted on Mon Jul 6th, 2015 @ 9:43pm by Ensign Six of Ten & Suresh & Seyla

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Deck 52 - Junior Officers' Quarters

The dancing had gone on till the last set and Owain had asked Six to allow him to walk her home. There were, after all, dangerous people on the Station. "And I don't mean my sort of dangerous: I'm a threat only to your sleeping alone tonight," he joked.

Six laughed at the joke as they walked to the turbolift on the Promenade. “Owain, you know that if someone jumped us, I’d make mincemeat out of him?” They stepped into the lift and the doors closed, carrying the pair up. “I appreciate the thought however. Bryce does the same thing.”

"Good, because about the only thing I would do is scream and hit my panic button," Owain grinned at her. "And up on the Fleet's quarter decks, I'll bet Johan's response time would suck." When the lift stopped, he offered his arm as they stepped off.

She slipped her hand in his arm as they started down the corridor. “I have to be careful when I’m doing things like dancing too. I’d hate to injure you by accident. That’s a real downer for an evening out.” They went around a curved wall and down a second corridor towards Six’s door. Owain had sounded as if he were joking with the sleeping alone comment, but now that they were approaching the moment of truth, she was a little nervous. “I’m just down there.” She pointed to her door.

"Six, you've been divine company this evening and you're a wonderful dancer," Owain said, putting his free hand over hers on his arm. "I was joking; the most I'll ask of you is a kiss at your door. Anything else is your choice." He looked at her as they continued walking.

She looked up at him and nodded. “It’s not personal, it’s just…” She had no idea how to explain the situation but the words came out anyway, giving Owain at least a good idea. “I haven’t...well...just the once…”

"It's okay. I don't take it personally, sweetheart. Though..., you're nervous as a targ at a Klingon festival. Look, sex is just sex. It's a physical activity like running or... dancing... that feels good. There's no need to treat it like it's a major event," he said.

She looked uncertain about that. “Maybe for you, you’re used to it. You’ve been a real person your whole life and had a long time to get used to the idea. Not that I think you’re old,” she hastened to add. “But you grew up knowing about it and forming your ideas. I’ve been a person all of three years so it’s still a mystery to me, if that makes any sense. It’s not your profession, either. I didn’t grow up with the idea that what you do means you can’t have your own personal thing. It’s a job like any other as far as I am concerned.” She laughed for a moment. “And all that sounds contradictory as hell, doesn’t it?”

"I grew up on Betazed. Sometimes, that's like being in a collective, with everyone always in your head, telling you what you're thinking. Not that it's anything like the Borg collective, I'm sure." He gave her a somber look. "If I could help you resolve your mystery, I would." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Her eyes widened a moment at his offer. She knew exactly what he meant but he was definitely a complication, one more added on to a pile of them it seemed. They reached her door and she stopped, not reaching to open it yet.

“It’s tempting, thank you,” she said softly.

"Thank you for the evening, Six," he said, facing her. He put his finger under her chin and leaned in to kiss her softly. At the same moment, he pulled a trick he used on so many of his clients: he sent a thrill along the pleasure sensors in her brain.

“Ohhhh…” the soft moan of pleasure escaped Six but then, unexpectedly, she tensed. She could sense Suresh approaching even before he appeared and she stepped back from Owain, looking a little surprised that she’d been so close. “I think you should get along, Owain. I am sure you have a lot yet to do tonight.”

Taken aback, he looked at her, confused. "Did I just offend you? I'm sorry if I did."

“No, you didn’t. But we are about to have company.” Six nodded to the corridor behind him. “I can handle this but you might want to hit the road, as they say. It will be far less complicated if you do.”

"As you wish, my dear," he quickly kissed her cheek then hurried in the direction she hadn't indicated. He was well aware of who was coming along the hall behind him.

Six stood at her still-locked door, waiting for Suresh to round the corner. She glanced the other direction and caught just the last glimpse of Owain as he turned down the cross corridor. She could read Suresh’s mood and she smiled. Moments later, he appeared, moving towards her at a brisk pace. Unlike Six, he wasn’t smiling and she sensed within him a whirlwind of jealousy and worry, mixed with a spike of anger.

"Six," he said as he reached her, "you look lovely. Was your night out with Reva entertaining?" He was holding back his swirl of emotions.

“That’s one way to describe it, yes,” she answered. She held his gaze and reached out to take his hand. “I hadn’t expected to see you tonight. Is something wrong?”

"Could we," he looked up and down the corridor, "talk inside?"

“Of course.” She squeezed his hand, then turned to enter the code to unlock her door. “I’m glad you’re here though.” She tapped in the numbers and the doors parted.

"I am, too, since I think I just chased your date away," he growled as they entered her quarters. "A friend called and told me you were at the Nexus being entertained by one of Seyla's boys." His unhappiness was showing.

“The blonde woman, yes? I spoke to her there and she seemed a little concerned.” Six turned as the doors closed behind Suresh. “It wasn’t a date. He was there with a friend of Reva’s. We all danced, talked...nothing serious. He offered to see me home. Apparently people forget that instead of defending me, I’d end up defending them in case of trouble.” Sensing that this discussion might go on for a while, she turned her back to him and pulled her hair aside. “Open the zipper so I can change.”

"Oh, sure, distract me first thing," Suresh said as he did as she asked. He planted a kiss on the curve of her shoulder. "That Reva... she's going to get you involved in bad things."

The kiss sent a thrill running through her instantly, and she laughed. “Funny thing, my love, she says the same about you.” She walked away and into her bedroom where she stepped out of her dress, then slipped out of her shoes.

She hadn't closed the bedroom door as she did that and Suresh stood, watching her, wanting to enter behind her and make love to her while those shoes were still on. But he was feeling growly and jealous and not in the right frame of mind to be gentle with her, which she deserved. "But I'm not the one, Six, introducing you to men whose jobs it is to seduce you! I just take you to dinner and dancing and walks around the lake. How is that bad?"

“It isn’t.” She opened a drawer and pulled out shorts and a tank top and slipped them on. Once she was dressed, she crossed to where he stood in the door to the bedroom and looked up at him. “You have nothing to worry about. At least not where I am concerned. He’s not the one I want.” She slipped her arms around his waist. “But….there are some things that came up, both with him and with my science XO that you need to know.”

"Really? Are you going to date the XO, too?" His jealousy was definitely showing. He finally relented and uncrossed his arms to wrap them around her. "Okay, so tell me."

She leaned up to kiss him gently, then slipped out of his arms. Taking his hand once more, she led him to the sofa and got comfortable. “First, tonight. I’d never laid eyes on Owain till they came to the table to say hello because Marcus knows Reva. They stayed to talk, we danced with them some and that’s it. I know what he does and I know he’s very good at it. If I couldn’t read emotions as I do, I might have been swayed but I don’t think I am really of interest.” She reached out to run her fingers through Suresh’s hair and smiled. “Does that relieve you on his account?”

"Perhaps. We'll see if you see him again," Suresh pulled her close against him and narrowly avoided growling that she was 'his'. "Why would he fake interest in you? Just to be a wingman for his friend going after Reva?" He considered that and again asserted, "She's a bad one to be around, Six. Look at what attention she brings."

“Reva has to find her own way and make her own choices,” Six replied, her voice soft. “Just as I do, despite the fact that several people think you are bad for me.” She shared what Owain had said regarding him and Darwin. “I think that was an attempt to cause discord between us by making me think you are becoming the criminal that the old Suresh was. The question is, why? What does he have to gain?”

Suresh's anger rose and he started struggling to get up; Six worked to keep him sitting. "I'm going to go kill him! How dare he tell you that crap! No... It's Seyla I'm going to kill. This fellow wouldn't have any reason to lie to you. It's on her head."

“No, you’re not killing anyone. You’re not that type.” Six resorted to planting herself across his lap, her hands on his shoulders. “But I am curious why try to put distance between us. It’s something I intend to figure out too. Not that it will work.”

"Killing Seyla wouldn't be the murder of a person. A person has a heart and a conscious. That....Orion has neither. She'll use anyone and everyone to get what she wants." He focused on Six, "I can't fathom, yet, why she wants you away from me, but I will tan her hide in order to find out," he spoke fiercely. "As for Darwin, Six, I've never met a guy less corruptible. Don't repeat that to anyone - what this boy toy said, I mean."

Six nodded. “I can read him well enough to know that it’s a lie. Darwin’s a good man. He even rushed to defend my honor with you.” She hesitated, then shifted to the subject of Tess. “In answer to your other question, no, I am not going out with the science XO. Even if it were a possibility, which it’s not, getting involved with someone in my department, and someone who oversees my work, is a bad idea. The problem is that he still thinks you are the old Suresh and is very concerned. He even went so far as to inform me that as an officer, I can’t associate with a criminal. I enlightened him and asked him to speak to Darwin and Bryce. They can back up what I said and set him straight.”

He was starting to see a problem that would come up. "Six, you can't correct people about me. Zeferino and Darwin are working to get me installed as the old Suresh - there's a power vacuum and I'm filling it so that things can settle down again. That plan depends upon people believing I'm the old Suresh. If too many people hear that I really am the alternate universe guy, the plan may not work." He looked at her, pained. "That means people will think the worst. We may have to be more circumspect about our relationship."

Six shook her head. “I’m glad I know what’s going on so I don’t jeopardize your position, but the ones who matter, in this case Security, know the truth. Tess only wants to make sure I’m in no danger. Gossip means little to me and I don’t want you to feel as if you can’t be seen with me up here. What about down below? The people down there think I belong to you, so down there it won’t be an issue will it? Since not too many officers hang out there?”


"Lately, it seems like all the officers are down there," Suresh complained running a hand through his hair. "As for you being down below..., perhaps that's fine. But me being seen up here, in the Fleet's quarterdecks, that may cause problems."

Six pondered the situation for a minute or two, then nodded. “Alright, try this. You’ll avoid being up here in my quarters and we’ll stick to your place. The Promenade shouldn’t be an issue. It’s a common destination for everyone on the station so no one will question seeing you there, or seeing me with you, even if they are your...men? People? Whatever. Anywhere down below, I will only go with you. How’s that?”

"Good," he said, smiling. "That means you won't be going to Saturnalia with just Reva - ever." He chucked her chin lightly with his knuckle then kissed her.

“So are you over Owain?” she leaned in close for the kiss and then smiled. “And if so, I suppose I should get a few things together for my shift in the morning so we can go?”

"I like that idea," he said, avoiding answering her about Owain. He was still going to skin Seyla for that. "Go pack."

Six’s smile reappeared and she hugged him close. “I missed you tonight,” she whispered, then slipped from his lap and hurried off to her bedroom.

******************
Ensign Six of Ten
Soothing The Savage Beast

Owain
Poking the Beast

Suresh
Suddenly Green Eyed