Feeling Their Oats
Posted on Mon Nov 2nd, 2015 @ 10:23pm by Lieutenant Commander Cyrus Thorn & Ensign Reva Madhava & Commander Louie Rousseau & Ensign Six of Ten
Mission: Further Challenges
* Lao’s Chinese Restaurant *
“That was amazing,” Louie opined as he pushed his plate away. “I kept hearing about this place and I’m glad I finally got here.” He spied one last dumpling and grabbed it before Cy could. “You think they’d let me move in?”
“Ah... no, but maybe there’s an apartment above this place. Besides, a steady diet of awesome becomes awful after a while. You have to have mediocre things in order to fully appreciate the great things.” Cyrus paused and thought up one more cliche: “Also, moderation in all things, including moderation.”
Louie raised an eyebrow at Cy. “Did you eat Poor Richard’s Almanac as an appetizer?” He grinned for a moment. “You’ve never believed in moderation in your life.”
“Well... in certain things, I do believe in moderation. Abstinence, for example. Should be taken only in moderation. Preferably only when absolutely necessary. Let’s see... other things to be done in moderation?” He pretended to think about that. Really, he was looking over towards Reva and her Borg friend. “Ah, yes, people watching.”
“I take it your evening with Helena went well then?” He followed Cy’s gaze and seeing the two young women, continued to watch. After several seconds, he sighed. “Do you ever feel like a dirty old man, Cy?”
“Watch yer tongue, old man. I never feel dirty old men,” Cyrus laughed. “But, yeah, moments like right now, watching those two oh-so-young women laugh like that. What I’d give to be a cadet with her as my TA.”
“I hear that,” Louie answered with a smile. “Or a young ensign joining them for lunch. On the other hand, the fact that your TA is sitting there having lunch with a former Borg is a little mind-blowing, isn’t it? They were always the big bad wolf to be feared and destroyed, not reclaimed.”
“Yeah, I’m glad we’re able to reclaim people from that assimilation process. I wonder what it’s like being part of a hive mind. Does the dominant personality in the hive ... well, dominate? Or are they just one voice among many?” He knew he’d probably read of that somewhere but if he had, he didn’t recall the information. “Shall we go over and introduce ourselves?
“I wonder if, after being reclaimed, they are lonely with all the quiet?” Louie mused, then nodded. “Certainly.” He laid his napkin aside and rose.
“Oh, good point,” Cyrus, too, rose. He led the way to Reva’s table. “Reva, we thought we’d come by and introduce ourselves to your friend.”
Reva eyed the two older men then smile at Six, “Sure, Six, this is Professor Thorn, as in ‘thorn in my side’, and Dean Rousseau.”
Louie chuckled, then offered his hand to Six. “A pleasure to meet you Six. Reva has mentioned you a few times and I’m glad to finally get the chance to see you.”
Six smiled up at Louie and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” She then turned to Cyrus and offered her hand to him. “Professor Thorn.”
He shook her hand. “Enchante, Six. And don’t listen to Reva. She has no idea just how much of a thorn in her side I will be from now on,” he teased the Orion.
“It will be good for her, I imagine,” was Six’s answer. She looked from one to the other and then her mouth fell open. “Ohhh, I know who you are! Oh wow, wait till I tell Bryce!”
“Ah, our fame rises up again, Louie,” Cyrus lamented playfully. “Perhaps we could regale you with tales of our misdeeds over dinner?”
Her brow furrowing, Reva looked up at Cyrus and asked, “Did you just ask Six on a date?”
Cyrus, despite his age, blushed furiously. “Ah, no, not intentionally! I mean...,” he shot a glance at Louie, hoping for a rescue.
Louie bit back a laugh. “Sounded like it to me, though you did say we.” Cy’s discomfort was amusing. “Though don’t let me interfere.” He grinned at Reva.
“I can just imagine what ‘we’ entails, Cyrus,” Reva laughed, shaking her head.
“I didn’t mean it as a date. Aren’t you dating Bryce, anyway?” Cyrus asked.
Six blinked. “Bryce?” She looked at Reva and laughed softly. “No. Lt. Kendrick is my self-appointed big brother. We met when we were both posted on the Evariste. Besides, I think my….real significant other might have an issue with me dating Bryce.”
Reva helped the two men out, “Six is dating Suresh, a crime boss.” She said it sullenly and with a barbed tongue.
“Ah,” Cyrus’ brows rose. “I see.”
“I’m sorry, who did you say?” Louie looked from Reva to Six. “Didn’t you say you were Fleet? Previously posted on the Evariste out here?” His confusion was evident.
“I was, yes,” Six nodded. “Long story and one that most here don’t care for. What Reva said is correct, however, regarding Suresh.”
“A crime boss? Huh,” Cyrus grunted. He noticed Reva’s glower. “Six, it’s been very nice meeting you. I should head back to my office, I have a class this afternoon. See you there, Reva,” he made his excuses and was ready to leave.
“I”m glad to have met you as well.” Louie smiled at Six, then Reva. “I’ll see you soon, no doubt. Enjoy your lunch, ladies.” He turned to follow Cy out of Lao’s.
“Was it something I said?” Six asked as she watched them leave. “Did I scare them off?”
“No, but I think Cyrus did just embarrass himself. I wonder if he does that often. He really wasn’t asking you on a date. He thinks we’re too young,” Reva said.
Six nodded. “I sensed the hesitation in Mr. Rousseau as well though…..” she snickered. “That doesn’t change their reactions. I don’t think they expected an empath.”
“Why would they? They see ‘former Borg’ and that’s where their assumptions stop.” Reva knew a thing or two about being judged by appearances.
Six nodded. “A fact of life for those like us, isn’t it? It’s sorta the same with them, though. From what I heard of their story, they are older sure, but it’s no different from being a Vulcan or some other long-lived species. I mean, if they want someone young, why not?”
“Are they really that old? Did they live through all of those years or just jump over some?” Her engineering curiosity started up and she had several different thoughts run through her head at the same time. “What are you doing tonight?”
“What I know is this: They both retired at normal retirement age so that would be what? Seventy? Then their ship hit some anomaly, vanished and came out like seventy years later. They were found 8 years ago on the Ba'ku planet and re-joined the fleet. It was in a documentary I watched,” Six explained, “While I was going through reclamation.” She paused to consider the other question. “I hadn’t thought about it, really. I guess I’ll go home. Unless you want to go spy on the new faculty?” She grinned at Reva.
“Well, I need to be in that class that Cyrus is teaching this afternoon. I meant later this evening. I’d like to go harass Robart and see if he’ll take me out for a ride and go warp ten.” She smiled.
“If you have time after class, will you stop in and say hello to Vic?” Six asked. “Or drag him along with you?”
“Yes, I will. I’ll see if he wants to go. Maybe he’s not working tonight,” Reva said; she’d forgotten about going around and seeing him.
“Thanks, I know he’ll appreciate seeing you.” Six left it at that. “Maybe I’ll find Des and take her to see a movie. I haven’t had a lot of time for anything it seems, since we got back from Archadia.”
“Yeah. Hey, maybe Falasin could get her a job with Mamu? She doesn’t have a lot to do, other than see Raj. Eventually, she’ll need a job.”
“That’s a good idea. Or maybe Vic could find something at the Nexus? Somewhere nice that she won’t turn into a target to be manhandled like she would at the Wormhole. There’s also the school here that might be in need of someone for the younger ones. But that reminds me, have you seen Falasin lately? Does she know that Niro’s not on the loose?”
“I.. I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since we came back from Archadia.” Reva shook her head. “Maybe Gilroy told her, though? That seems like something he should have told her.”
“I don’t know but I’ll stop by Mamu’s after I leave here and then find Des. Want to stretch your legs for a bit before you go back to class?”
"Oh, yeah. I've never been in Mamu's shop, I'll go with you," Reva said.
Out of habit, Louie scanned the crowd on the Promenade as he and Cyrus strolled along. Finally, he turned his attention to his friend.
“So, want to tell me why you ran out of there like a scalded dog?” he asked.
“Did I? I didn’t mean to, if that’s what I did,” Cyrus walked along, doing the same as his friend. It was a favorite pastime: watching people. And now, on this station, it was even more interesting than ever before. He liked trying to guess what species each person was. “Nah, it was just time for us to go, though.”
Louie snorted. “You don’t have another class for two hours. So, ‘fess up. What was it? Feeling your oats or your age?”
“Both. Both of those girls - excuse me, women - are astonishingly beautiful and, in younger days, just the type I’d ask on dates. But now, we’re what? A hundred years or so older than they are.” Cyrus shook his head. “It’s a bit... depressing.”
“A hundred and forty-seven years for you,” Louie answered, then a thought struck him. “So why is Helena different? She’s younger too.”
They walked on while Cyrus thought about that. Finally, he said, “Experience? Helena’s not exactly an ingenue. Those two?” He tossed a thumb over his shoulder, “I think my labradoodle has more life experience.” He held up his hands in a defensive gesture, “I know, I know, Madhava’s just back from a horrific experience. That’s not the experience I mean. It’s the day to day, dealing with people experience that I mean.”
“True enough,” Louie answered. “I don’t think Six has been out of the collective for long. Even so, I’ll admit that I could really…..yeah. Moving along. You might be good for her though.” He smiled briefly.
“Not if I try to bed her.” He walked along quietly. “Either of them.”
“Especially since you work with one of them,” Louie observed. “Besides, Six mentioned a significant other, and I gathered Reva wasn’t too happy about that. The subject got shut down quick. Not that such a thing has ever stopped you before.”
“Eh, if she’s dating a mob boss.. I can pass. Really. I like having all my parts where all my parts belong. I wonder about that, why doesn’t ...well, no, I can see why Reva might not like having a friend dating a criminal. Why would the Borg leave her Fleet position for a criminal? This might be someone we need to meet.”
“The criminal? Really?” Louie considered that and shrugged. “Why not? I can just call up Six and say hey, we’d love to meet your mobster boyfriend. How about dinner?”
That set Cyrus off laughing. “Yeah, that’s not smooth. Maybe... we could just go where the criminals go? Didn’t they say we should avoid the Pit? Maybe that’s where this mobster would hang out.”
“That’s true. I have one small correction. The students are told to avoid the Pit, that doesn’t apply to us.” A grin lit Louie’s face. “Tonight. Or are you seeing Helena tonight?”
“Not till after her shift at Ella’s,” Cyrus said. “We can go hang out, see what’s what around there. Could be fun.”
“It could. Meanwhile, I can go sit in my office and bemoan the fact that the girls, excuse me...women, are out of my reach.” He sighed dramatically and smiled. “Won’t be the first time.”
“Yeah, they’re both dating someone. C’mon,” he directed them back towards the Academy.
***************
Lt. Commander Louie Rousseau
Wishful Thinking
Lt. Commander Cyrus Thorn
Filthy Aged Guy
Ensign Reva Madhava
Playacting
Ensign Six of Ten
Amused
