Dancing With Demons - Part I

Posted on Sun Jul 12th, 2015 @ 11:35am by Suresh & Niro & Ensign Reva Madhava
Edited on on Mon Aug 16th, 2021 @ 1:48pm

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Saturnalia / Iapetus

Riley had a poker game with the guys to attend, so Reva was on her own for the night and, for once, she really didn't feel like finding Six and hanging out with her. She frowned as she looked through Seyla's closet, not because of the clothes, but because of Six and her situation. She chose a dress, a gold one that didn't look like it could possibly fit. It did, though tightly across her breasts. She liked how the skirt flared out below her hips and fluttered around her legs. She grabbed a pair of shoes, found they didn't fit and replicated a different pair to match the dress, then headed out, thinking she might find Marcus or Owain at Iapetus. Instead, she ended up at Saturnalia, at a table and surprisingly alone.

A waitress recognized her and hurried over. “Evening, what can I get for you?” She smiled at Reva but her gaze was on a spot just over Reva’s head where one of Seyla’s fellows was enjoying his own drink and conversation. He nodded and she returned her attention to Reva. “Or would you like to be surprised?”

"Oh! That's a great option! Surprise me," Reva smiled, delighted by the idea. She wasn't so thrilled that there was someone behind her that the waitress had checked out. Was it one of Suresh's goons, watching over her? If it was, that would certainly spoil any chance she had of making friends tonight. She frowned and was still frowning when the waitress returned with her drink.

The drink placed before Reva was in a tall glass and in layers of vivid purple and green. “This one’s on Jonah,” the waitress informed her. “He’s one of Seyla’s. You know him?”

"Oh, I do!" She twisted around, saw him and waved her thanks. To the waitress, she said, "Thanks. I was thinking it was Suresh."

That got a laugh from the woman. “He’s got his own amusement so don’t be expecting drinks from him. He’s so wound up you could strip down and he wouldn’t notice. Same old Suresh, different set of boobs.” She wandered off, leaving Reva to her drink.

Left with that, Reva sipped her drink and stewed. She felt eyes on her - and why not? She was a lone female in a bar where women normally didn't go alone. And she knew that, thanks to Suresh, she'd remain alone.

“I see you are braving the wild side alone again.” The voice belonged to Suresh, who stood by the table. His tone was serious as he looked down at her. “Does Darwin know you’re here?”

"No, my surrogate daddy doesn't know I'm here. Do you have an issue with that?"

“None at all. You, Reva, are not my problem anymore, as I told Seyla. You made it clear you didn’t care for my help down here and that’s fine.” He saw no reason to inform her that two of his men still were looking out for her without her knowledge. “Unlike some, I agree that you’re a grown woman and can do what you want. I’ve said the same of Six, though some don’t agree.”

"Six... You," she stood and pointed at him and built into a rant, "are such a selfish sonofabitch. Instead of considering what's best for her, you just let her resign her commission! Who does that? If you love her like you claim to, you would have bowed out and let her have a normal life."

“From the beginning, I counseled her that she should never let others decide what she does with her life and I promised I wouldn’t either. She was a glorified slave all her life, Reva and I was not about to tell her not to do it, or take the decision away from her by bowing out. It was her decision alone and I also promised her I would abide by what she wanted. Can you understand that?”

His apparent rationality made her blood boil. "No. I don't understand how you can stand by... Actually, I do understand why you'd let her make a bad decision: you benefit from it. That's all you care about: you. Like someone just said to me: same old Suresh." She picked up her drink and, before she could think about, dumped it over his head.

He grabbed the napkin from her table and wiped his face. When he spoke his tone was low and sharp. “That’s enough. If she is happy, why does it matter whether she’s Fleet or not? Be happy that she’s doing what she wants to do. And for her sake, perhaps you should lay off the insults to me unless you want to risk driving her away.” He tucked the soggy napkin in the low-cut neck of her dress. When he spoke again, his voice was normal pitch. “Be careful Reva, this isn’t Utopia down here. It’s dangerous and you already have a target on your ass. Enjoy your evening.”

She whipped the napkin out from where he'd tucked it and lobbed it at his head as he walked away. "I'm not afraid, Suresh." No, she was a riled up Orion. But not so riled up that she didn't notice Saturnalia's bouncers coming her way. One doesn't dump a drink on Suresh and not suffer some consequence. She put her hands out in a placating motion and started towards the exit under her own power.

“No need to go.” A male voice spoke just to her left. A tall man with long dark blonde hair stood there, his piercing blue eyes looking her over. “I’ll keep her out of trouble, gentlemen,” he said to the bouncers.

"She's already in trouble," one of them answered. "He doesn't get angry, he just exacts his revenge." He looked Reva over and shook his head. "Pity. Take her next door, then."

Reva frowned at the three men. "I'll take myself there, thank you very much." She turned and left Saturnalia. Turning left, she saw Iapetus and had her hand on the door when the blonde caught up to her.

“Tough night when you get booted from Saturnalia,” Niro commented. “I take it you and Suresh don’t get along?” He reached past her to press the panel and open the door for her. “Most are afraid of him...or at least of standing up to him as you did. Or is it that you care for your friend more than you fear him?”

They entered and she led him to a table near a corner. "Both," she answered after a server came and took their orders. "He's such an ass! And she's... well, she's not exactly worldly in her experience."

“Explain.” Niro smiled briefly, enjoying for the moment her roiling emotions. The idea of an Orion flashed through his thoughts and suddenly the evening had become far more interesting.

"Former Borg, freed three years ago," Reva shrugged a shoulder. "You can imagine that, right?" She picked up his thread of interest and smiled at him slightly. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet, but we can certainly change that,” he answered. “My name is Niro. And you are?” He was perfectly aware of her name, having overheard Suresh use it. “As you likely guessed, I am Enaran.” He left it at that, waiting to see just how much she knew about his kind.

"Then you've likely already read my mind and know my name," she said, smirking. "But if you're being polite, I'm Reva. And you've probably guessed, I'm Orion. Partly, at least."

“Partly? Now I’m curious.” He smiled as the drinks arrived and raised his glass to her. “Maybe I can turn your evening around from it’s rather unpleasant beginning.”

Her smile broadened as she warmed to him, "Now that, I'd really like. I'm part Betazoid and was raised by my dad's mom there. Were you raised on Enara Prime?"

“I was. My brother is here as well with his new wife. She assists the chief Counselor.” Niro smiled. “To avoid any confusion in the future, I should warn you. He and I are identical but he is not so….outgoing as I am.” Niro reached over and traced his fingertips along the back of her hand. As he did it, he brushed his mind along hers, enhancing the thrill of the touch.

Her eyes went wide and she laughed. "Oh, that's a good trick, Niro. Teach me?" She sipped her drink and leaned in towards him a touch. "Somehow, I doubt your brother frequents this area of the Station."

“Occasionally, he does, yes.” Niro sipped his drink and gave her a mental nudge to come closer. “There’s so much more than that I could teach you Reva, it all depends on what you want. Your friend is no longer bound by the rules….are you?”

"What rules?" She laughed and slid closer to him in the booth. "Yeah, I'm Fleet, but no one oversees my free time. Right now, I just want to learn that little trick, the tingle you sent when you touched me. Do it again."

“As you wish.” Niro wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Looking deep in her eyes, he touched the side of her neck with his finger and this time, sent far more than a tingle. The wave of pleasure flooded through Reva and as a result, Niro could sense the euphoria as it swept her away. He smiled, but remained still as he watched her.

She had expected just a light touch. What he gave her had her grabbing his thigh and gasping, "Holy Gods!" Quite aware of being in a public space, she bit her bottom lip and stifled any louder reaction. When the moment finally passed, she looked at Niro and kissed him fiercely.

A low laugh rumbled in his chest and he held her close, deepening the kiss. Finally he pulled back just enough to whisper. “Would you like more? I am happy to oblige, Reva, but not here. I suspect you are hungry for the pleasurable side of life. I’ll be happy to take you there if you wish.”

She didn't know this guy, but his brother was married to a Fleet person. He couldn't be that bad, could he? Her baser desire overrode any higher intelligence, "I have a place we could go. It's not too far from here." She kissed him again, communicating her wants to him.

He read her thoughts with no effort, including those involving his brother. “You know, my brother is Fleet as well. Does that make you feel better?” He barely got the words out as Reva’s lips met his once more.

"Sure," she whispered, nodding slightly. She had a moment of clarity and settled back to sip her drink. "Wow. That trick.... Hey, you aren't on Seyla's payroll, are you?"

“The Orion?”He laughed at the idea. “I am on no one’s payroll, Reva. That implies too much servitude for me. My time and my desires are strictly my own and right now, those include you.” He paused and narrowed his eyes. “Is there someone waiting at home for you? Not that it would stop me but I like to know who I’m leaving in the dust.”

"No, no one is waiting for me," she took the question literally. She had her own quarters and Riley was off at a poker game. "So there'll be no one looking for your hide later, Niro, if you worry about things like that."

“I don’t,” he answered. He hooked his finger in the neck of her dress, pulling it out enough to look down inside. “So where is this place you want to take me, my little angel?”

She removed his finger from her dress; that was ...not a pleasant thing he'd done. "Pay for these and I'll show you," she said, despite a tiny whisper of misgiving.

He signalled the waitress and entered his code when she presented a padd. Once she was gone, he leaned in, his lips to Reva’s ear. “You have nothing to fear from me Reva. All I want is to show you what more there is to life. After all, your friend is on her own, living with the man she desires, no rules. You should have a little taste of that, too, don’t you think?”

"Yes," she agreed. "Come on," she pulled him out of the booth, "We have somewhere else to be." She smiled and missed that a hulk of a grey man watched as the two left.

To Be Continued...

************
Ensign Reva Madhava

Suresh

Niro