Rude Awakenings

Posted on Fri Sep 30th, 2011 @ 1:46pm by Lieutenant Norval Tigan & Captain Li Hawke

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

The chime of his communicator accomplished two things. First, it woke Norval Tigan from what was otherwise a sound sleep. Second, it sent a bolt of pain through his head such as he had never experienced.

He attempted to roll over in his bed, reaching towards his nightstand where instinct told him the comm badge would be... only he was not in his bed, and there was no nightstand to be found.

His vision was blurry - either from the ale or the pain, he wasn't sure - but after a moment he realized he was on the floor of his quarters in the middle of the living area. He apparently hadn't made it more than five feet after coming through the door last night. No, this morning, he realized, wondering what time it was.

He was still in his pants, having managed to remove his vest and most of his shirt. One arm was still very much in a sleeve, causing the rest of the fabric to drape over his side as he awkwardly fought to sit up and then fumble through the folds for his communicator, still attached.

He backed up against the side of a chair, collapsing in a sitting position this time, and winced as the comm chimed again when he activated it. He hadn't actually heard the first message, but managed to stifle out "Tigan" through a yawn.

=^= Norval? Are you there? It's Li. I need to see you, like now. =^= Strain tightened her voice as she spoke through the comm badge.

Somewhere in the back of his head, Norval vaguely recalled a man named Vic being told to do... something... to prevent this conversation from happening. But he was also fairly certain he was to have been the one initiating it.

"Yeah... yeah," the Trill muttered. "My quarters?" he half-said, half-asked, rubbing his face with his free hand. "I need to get dressed," he said, more as an aside than to Li directly.


=^= I don't care what you're wearing. I'll see you in a few minutes. =^=

And just like that, she was gone.

Norval groaned as the channel closed and forced himself to shakily stand up. The feeling of vertigo that swept through him made it feel like Tigan was swimming around in his belly, and for a moment he thought he might be physically ill. Steadying himself against the chair, he made his way into his bedroom and quickly changed.

"You may not care," he said aloud to himself, "but I certainly do."

* * *

The chime of Norval's door rang in precisely 3.5 minutes. Exactly the amount of time it took to walk from Sakkath's quarters to Norval's at a rapid pace. As she waited, Li looked over her shoulder, almost expecting another of those phantom touches.

"Come in," Norval called, just emerging from his bedroom back into the living area. He had donned a pair of loose-fitting charcoal grey pajama bottoms and was pulling a green v-neck sweater over his spotted torso as the doors parted. Not exactly impressive looking, but better than being half-shirted and in the pants he both wore last night and slept in. He gave Li a nod without really looking as she entered, stopping off at his replicator.

"Raktajino, double strong, double sweet," he said, before turning back to look at his guest. "Want anything?" he asked, taking her in for the first time.

"The same, no sugar." Li looked exhausted, clearly having not slept. She wore a regulation grey tank top and black shorts - just what she'd been napping in. The dream had rattled her so, she'd not waited to change, all she had wanted was to get out of there. "Please."

"Raktajino, double strong," Norval added, taking the two mugs that materialized, handing the unsweetened one to Li. "You look about like I feel," the Trill said, trying to force a smile but failing miserably at it. The ache in his head was too much to be ignored.

"Rough night. I saw you two sometime around 3 AM singing in the Wormhole." Li smiled a bit. "Some earth song Jackson always liked. "Brown-Eyed Girl. You changed it to ...Black-eyed but it fit well enough."

Norval almost choked on the sip of raktajino he was taking in that moment, but managed to recover without spraying Klingon coffee all over himself. He didn't even remember that particular episode... he wondered what else he and Jackson Banning had gotten up to.

"Probably the Romulan ale," Norval said, even if it was probably only half-true. He knew full well that everyone on Betazed was possessed of a black iris. He knew full well why he would have chosen those lyrics instead. "But you wanted to see me?" he prompted, hoping to change the subject even as his blue eyes met her black ones.

Li nodded. "Something awful just happened." She settled on his sofa, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Nita and I were up all night working on Khali's disappearance. I stopped in to inform the Speaker, then went home, hoping for a nap at least. I was in the kitchen and I felt...I felt something touch my throat but there was no one there." She swallowed down some of the raktajino. "When I fell asleep, things got stranger." She recounted the dream, somewhat embarrassed at the intimate nature of it.

Norval was dumbstruck. Kh'ali was missing? And on top of that, more baggage with Rhys? And on top of that, he had to listen to a recount of Li in an intimate situation he should really be avoiding right now?

The Trill massaged his temple with one hand while considering his response. "Well, this could really just be a dream, right?" he asked. "I mean, that crystal has been locked up, I authorized the field generation power distribution." He was amazed he could recall that, when so much of last night was still blurry. "What's all this about Kh'ali, anyway?" he asked.

"I...I accessed it a few days ago Norval. There was a telepath, you remember? I hoped it would allow me to track him and while I was interacting with it, I saw... Rhys in there." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Kh'ali vanished from her quarters only minutes after she left Oz and the Speaker. According to Oz and the computer transmissions, 15 minutes after she left the Nexus and the Speaker, she was no longer on this station."

Norval heaved a sigh. "That was being isolated for a reason. It wasn't safe..." Li knew all of this, it served no purpose to repeat it, so he trailed off. "So your experience with the crystal is probably responsible for your dream. That, and the fact that my boss - your husband," he said that more to remind himself of the fact, half-tempted to offer letting Li sleep here, "is on an away mission and you're exhausted, physically and probably mentally too. A nightmare under those conditions doesn't seem too far-fetched," he decided, with a frown. Part of him now felt a need to be in Ops, helping to search for their Chief Diplomat, but Li clearly also needed someone right now.

"And the touch? It was all so real, Norv." She looked down at her hands. "And go ahead, fuss if you like. Connor already let me have it. Then again he doesn't know my work history and what all I've lived through."

Norval moved to sit next to her, placing his hand on top of Li's. "Look, I know you take risks all the time. We're just concerned for you... that crystal has been responsible for some pretty unbelievable things. It's dangerous." It was really the only word that Norval thought fitting. "It's heightened your senses before. Maybe calling up memories can lead to sensation... you are a telepath after all. Your mind could be making things more real than they actually are. Or it's just a phantom feeling. Andam's memories sometimes cause me to feel like I'm missing my left arm, and that was a lifetime ago for another host. It happens."

She studied his face a moment, then slowly nodded. Could he be right? It sounded crazy now, hearing it once again but it had been so convincing at the time. She hoped she was wrong in thinking it was a battery and had stored Rhys' essence somehow. And oh, but she was tired. She couldn't go back to her quarters yet, though. Here, she felt...safe. She squeezed his hand and nodded.

"I hope so. More coffee?"

"Sure," Norval replied, standing and taking the two mugs with him. At the replicator he took a moment to lean against the wall, closing his eyes against the dizziness and the temptation. He might have to see someone in Sickbay about a hangover cure, just to get his head back on straight.

"Two raktajino, double strong, one double sweet," he ordered again, turning with the newly materialized mugs of steaming coffee in hand.

Behind him, while he'd taken a moment to get his head together, Li had given in to the exhaustion. She now lay curled up on the end of the sofa, her breathing deep and regular as she slept, finally. The small pillow that had been propped against the sofa arm was now curled in her arm, held tightly against her chest.

Norval bit his lip and found another reason to be immensely grateful for his joining - he had seven other voices in his head helping to shore up his willpower. Placing Li's mug back into the replicator to be recycled, he set his own down on the coffee table, disappearing into his bedroom for a moment.

He emerged with a blanket in hand, draping it over her sleeping form but not without allowing himself to at least touch her raven hair as he pulled it around her shoulders. Inwardly, he sighed, but took a seat back in one of his armchairs, knowing there was no separating Li Hawke from Sakkath. With Rhys, he might have had a chance somewhere along the line, but a Vulcan mating bond... Whrea Tigan knew how strong that was.

The Trill sipped from his fresh mug and collected a PADD from the endtable. It seemed he had a lot to catch up on since the Speaker left the Nexus, and his mind could certainly use a distraction from the pain that coursed through it and the woman sleeping on his sofa.

The room was quiet, save for the soft whisper of Li's breathing. The details, as they were known for now, scrolled by on the PADD. Somewhere between the account of the deck by deck search, and Science's information on chroniton particles, Norval felt a light touch along his shoulder. It was there, and gone in an instant.

Norval started at the sensation, sending his raktajino falling to the floor. Instinctively he spun around, and then a chill passed down his spine as he turned back to face Li.

Just your imagination, old man, he tried to tell himself, but now he wasn't so sure. Shakily, and not just from the ale, he stood and went to collect a towel. Something told him that crystal was going to warrant another look...

Out in the living room, Li moaned softly in her sleep. As Norval returned with the towel, she sat bolt upright with a gasp, fighting the blanket. Her gaze zeroed in on him. "He was here, wasn't he?"

Norval's frown spoke volumes more than his actual words. "I don't know," he admitted, before reluctantly adding, "...Maybe."

Li scrambled to her feet, tossing the blanket back to the sofa. "I need to go...not safe for you here. I'll get back to my office, work on Kh'ali. Maybe Connor can do something, I don't know." Her words tumbled over each other in a rush. "As long as I'm awake, should be okay..." She moved around the end of the sofa, pointed towards the door.

Norval made a move to step in front of her. "You're not any safer by yourself, and you're already exhausted. You can't stay awake forever." The concern in his voice was evident as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I think it's time we go to the Admiral and get rid of that thing. I think... that's what Sakkath would want, too."

That stopped her and she stood under his hands, debating with herself over the idea. "Maybe so, but one of them belongs to Patrick. We can't, not till he's home." Finally, she collapsed against his chest. " For now, get me to Connor. Maybe he can handle your hangover too."

"All right," Norval agreed. "Provided he isn't feeling the same way I am." Tossing the towel over the stain on his carpet, the Trill resolved to requisition a cleaning crew later before collecting his comm badge and leading Li Hawke from his quarters.

___________________________
Lt. (j.g.) Norval Tigan
Acting Chief of Operations
Starbase 900

Lt. Commander Li Hawke
Feeling The Trill Of Adventure