Georgia Peaches, Chocolates and Cockroaches

Posted on Tue Jul 10th, 2012 @ 8:13pm by Cassidy Wilde & Commander Oralia Zeferino & Ignatius Reilly
Edited on on Tue Jul 10th, 2012 @ 8:14pm

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Various
Timeline: Late afternoon - Day after 'In Re: Grief'

* * Oralia’s Quarters * *

Lying on the bed, Oz didn’t have the energy to get up. She couldn’t see the point of getting up, showering, dressing, eating, living. Without Connor....

Life goes on! Iggy interrupted Oz’s thoughts for, possibly, the ten millionth time since Li had brought her home. The spider dropped from the ceiling, nearly causing Oralia to hit her out of frightened surprise. Get up, please.

“No, leave me alone,” Oz whined.

No. I want fresh food. Another hissing roach, like the one Cassidy brought me that day in the Detention Center. And I have class today. You need to take me; the turbolift will not take me by myself. Iggy stopped on her anchor line just above Oralia’s chest.

“Have Darwin take you.”

He has duty.

Oz sighed, hard enough that Iggy was sent swaying back and forth. She reached up and stopped the arachnid pendulum. “Ok, ok, I’ll shower and we’ll go to the Promenade then your class.”

Good. You need to shower. Iggy crawled back up the anchor line to the ceiling.

* * Later, Promenade Deck * *

Despite Iggy’s pleas to go to the Promenade with her to pick out her own food, Oralia had taken the arachnid to class then come back to the Promenade, where she picked up a hissing cockroach for Iggy. She hadn’t been on this level in what felt like ages and she hoped the sights and sounds would keep her distracted. Sitting with a cup of coffee just a few stores down from the pet store, she watched the Station’s civilians and off-duty personnel as they shopped and strolled along the market.

A mother with an infant in a rebozo hurried past Oz, giving the dark-haired woman a sideways glance. That glance said to Oz: ‘You’re staring at my baby. Why are you staring?’ Clearing her throat, Oz focused on her coffee for a moment and felt out of place and out of sorts.

Cassidy had finished her trips to the shops on her list. She’d made the gourmet chocolatier extremely happy by clearing him out of nearly a quarter of his chocolates. The other shop she’d stopped at, was once again, the exotic pet store. This time, she’d bought several big juicy Hissing Cockroaches, a large grasshopper, and large grey moth with bright pink on the inside of its wings. In Cass’ quirky way of thinking, it would be like a living powdered doughnut for Iggy. Geez...her sense of humor just kept getting more and more warped.

Always observant of her surroundings, she looked up as she passed yet another coffee shop. Coming to a halt, she turned her head and did a double take. That was Oz sitting by herself at a table. Changing directions, she entered the shop and came over.

“Hello Oralia,” she greeted her.

Startled, Oz looked up then smiled. “Cassidy, hi,” she greeted her, doing her Southern best to put on a good face, as if her world hadn’t crashed around her recently. “If you have time, have a seat. Grab a cup of coffee.”

Smiling at her, she placed her bags down. “I’ve got nothin’ but time. I’ll be right back after I get my coffee. Can I get ya refill or anythin’?”

“Oh, no, thank you,” Oz lifted her mug, “Doctor’s orders: no more than two a day.” She’d already had four. She waited till Cassidy came back with her drink. “So, how are things at the Club?”

“Busy, busy, busy.” Looking at Oz, she took note of her paleness, but that was to be expected. Her hair had grown in leaps and bounds since the last time she had seen her. “Your hair...it’s longer.” She smiled at her and tried to coax one out of Oralia. “I swear Oz, I don’t know anyone that can rock that look...the short hair...and still be gorgeous like ya do. It’s not fair.”

Touching her hair where it just started to curl around the bottom of her ear, Oz smiled slightly. “Yeah, apparently saving organs from oxygen deprivation encourages hair growth. Not a medical fact that I knew prior to this,” she replied, not touching the ‘gorgeous’ comment. She didn’t have the energy to joke about it, so she graciously and silently accepted it. “Thank you for the flowers you sent. Gerberas are my favorite.”

“Yer welcome. I’m glad ya liked ‘em.” Cass didn’t need to read Oz’s emotions to know she was in a bad place. Knowing that bringing up Connor’s death would just make things worse right now, she wisely stayed away from that, other than to offer a very quiet, “I’m so sorry Oz.”

Not intending to but doing so anyway, Oz made a show of watching passersby. After a moment during which she swallowed back the emotion that simple phrase brought up, she nodded and sipped her coffee. Another moment passed before she found the ability to respond, “Thank you, Cass. So is there any new gossip coming from the Club’s patrons?”

That earned a dramatic roll of the blonde woman’s eyes. “I’m sure there is. Isn’t there always some silly gossip goin’ ‘round?” Cassidy shrugged. “I’ve never been one ta pay attention ta gossip, but I can see how some of it might be useful ta someone in yore line of work or say an intelligence operative. It’s all information, I suppose. It’s just siftin’ through what might have a shred of truth in it versus what is complete and utter bullshit.” She blinked, realizing she’d lost her filter. “Oops...sorry. My potty mouth is showin’.”

“S’ok,” Oz brushed aside the cursing with a shrug. She didn’t care if others cursed, she just didn’t want Ignatius doing the same. “Yeah, kernels of truth are found in gossip. Like the gossip I heard about Jackson’s trip to Archadia,” she smiled at Cassidy.

“There’s gossip about Jackson’s trip? What sort of drivel are people comin’ up with now? Good Lord, the man is takin’ a few days off, it’s no big deal.” She shook her head, amazed at the things people found to talk about. Then again, as she remembered, word had gotten around pretty darn quick about her and Jackson from that first night out. Their visit to The Wormhole, their antics in the turbolift. Jan’s teasing the next night had proven word got around. Talk about breakin’ the ice and having a crash course in getting to know someone.

“Yeah, it’s just that he hasn’t taken a day off the station in what seems like forever,” she vaguely explained the interest in Jackson’s vacation. “Sometimes, it seems he’s forgotten there’s a planet under us. We all need a little time away from the hum of anti-gravs and ventilation pumps.” One thing was certain: she was definitely scraping bottom for distracting conversation topics. She fell silent, slowly turning her coffee mug in her hands and watching the passersby.

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Well if it’s been that long, then he’s definitely overdue for a few days off.” Cassidy suddenly remembered a line from an old twentieth century book she had read once when she was going through a horror phase. She smirked and quoted the line.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” At least he wasn’t turning into a homicidal maniac from too much work and no down time.

Never having been a big reader, Oralia hadn’t a clue Cassidy had just pulled a Gilroy on her, only with Stephen King instead of Shakespeare. She grinned at the phrase and nodded. Looking for a new topic, she spied Cassidy’s bags and asked, “What have you been shopping for today?”

“Wouldn’t ya like ta know?” Cass teased, but was already reaching for the bags. The first one was colorful, a deep metallic green bag with gold lettering and braided handles. She pushed it across the table to Oz. “This one is for you,” she smiled. “I hope ya like chocolates.”

“I adore chocolates, but require that anyone who gives them to me must share them with me. I’m not putting all of those calories on my ass alone.” She pulled the bag closer and gasped at the amount of chocolate in the bag. “Oh my, I see I’ll need reinforcements on this! Thank you, Cass.”

“I will gladly help ya demolish the entire stash.” Laughing, she picked up the second bag and placed it on the table. This one was plain, paper-bag brown in color and unmarked. It continued to move as if it were vibrating a little after Cassidy let go. “This one, is for Iggy.” Inside, the different insects were in separate little cardboard boxes. Each one had writing on top of them so they were labeled.

“I didn’t think you’d be feelin’ up ta goin’ out this soon and doin’ a lotta runnin’ ‘round, so I thought I’d bring her a week’s worth of meals.” She smiled gently. “Actually, I did the same for you...not bugs, of course...but I’ve got a bunch of meals I cooked up back at my place that I was gonna bring over a little later. Real, home cooked meals - not replicated ones. I hope ya don’t mind, but I thought it might be nice if ya didn’t have ta worry ‘bout cookin if ya didn’t want to.”

Amused and slightly humbled by the large offering of friendship Cassidy was making, Oz smiled at the array of Iggy meals. “Perhaps this shouldn’t be on the table,” she laughed and set it on the seat next to her. “Iggy will be thrilled and I’ll make sure she thanks you properly.”

“As for the meals, I should be home later - the doctor said I should work from home if I’m going to work. I think he’s afraid I’ll hurt myself in a sparring match or something.” The Doctor was pretty close; she could have handled being allowed to beat on someone or something. “I’m just waiting till Iggy’s class is over. Once I pick her up, we’re homeward bound.”

“The doctors are just being cautious. You’ve just gone through a terrible shock, honey. They probably want you to take some extra time and rest,” she said kindly, then caught onto something that tripped her ‘something doesn’t make sense’ radar. “Of course they don’t want you hurtin’ yourself sparrin’. Yer pregnant, Oralia. Ya shouldn’t be sparrin’ anyway because of the baby.”

Unsurprised that Cassidy knew about her being pregnant, Oz cleared her throat and drank her coffee. Cass must have heard it either from Iggy or Jackson. Not yet responding to Cass’s concern, Oz thought about the pregnancy. She knew no one would understand, but she was a touch relieved; going through that and entering into parenthood without Connor.... Just those two words called up tears and a lump in her throat. “Yeah, I suppose that’d be a concern, if I were pregnant,” she said, keeping her eyes on her coffee.

Covering her mouth to stifle a gasp, Oz’s words and emotions hit Cassidy at the same time. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry.” Cass’ first impulse was to go over and give her a big hug, but she was afraid if she tried to show too much outward concern and sympathy for Oralia out in public it would break what little control Oz had and set her off. So she simply scooted her chair closer and took the other woman’s hand and gripped it tightly. She didn’t need to say anything more. Words were insufficient anyway.

Blinking back her own tears, she watched the people going about their business in the shop and out on the Promenade as if everything in the universe were completely normal. For them, perhaps. For the woman next to her, no.

“Would ya mind if I waited with ya for Iggy ta get outta class?”

“Not at all, Cass,” Oz shook her head and smiled. None of her gestures were large things. “Besides, you have to help me eat some of these chocolates.” She pulled the bag closer and angled the opening for Cass. The other bag rattled as one of the roaches got carried away in its box and knocked it over. To make sure no one was escaping, Oz glanced into that bag then folded the top down.

When she sat back, she watched the passersby again and chewed on a chocolate. Dark, high-cocoa chocolate with a ribbon of peanut butter marbled through it. The taste reminded her of her older brothers and how they’d take her for hand-churned chocolate and peanut butter ice cream cones when she was young. Nowadays, the brothers joked that those ice cream trips were how they’d ended up with their youngest brothers, Thad and Chance, since they’d left the parents at home, unsupervised. Smiling at the memory, Oz didn’t mind lapsing into silence.

Cassidy dug through the bag. “Where is that blasted thing?” After a few more seconds, she pulled a small, glossy gold sheet of paper. “Got it.” Holding it up triumphantly, she smirked. “Just in case ya aren’t in an adventurous mood, this has little pictures of each of the chocolates and tells ya what they are. Not that I care...it’s chocolate, so it’s all good.”

Like Oralia, she lapsed into silence after choosing a dark chocolate with deep pink swirls on the surface. In the middle, a raspberry creme center. To her, it was divine. Happily devouring several more, she sighed and sat back.

“How’re Iggy’s classes goin’?”

Pleased to have a happy topic to talk about, Oz nodded. “They seem to be going well. So far, Commander Kit’rin’e hasn’t contacted me to say she’s not welcome anymore. Apparently on her first day, she was rather annoying. I forgot to school her on proper classroom etiquette. Of all things,” she laughed.

“She’s been very excited about what she’s learning, though, particularly since the Commander took them aboard the new Ascension class vessel. Though, she still doesn’t quite get how large the ship is,” she thought about that and added, “‘Course, I don’t think she understands how large the station is, either. It’s a concept I can’t adequately relate to her.”

“That, and math. She’ll understand that if she has two roaches and eats one, she has one left. But if we try bigger numbers, say 660 less 300, she hasn’t been able to get an answer. She’ll say, ‘That’s less, obviously. But why would I ever have 660 roaches? And to whom am I giving the 300?’.” Again, she chuckled.

Cass giggled. “If she’s never been in a classroom and is excited, then I’d imagine she was like a very young child. She just needs a little guidance on when it is and isn’t appropriate ta speak up. Compared ta the other students, she’s small. If she were ta raise her little leg ta ask a question, would the Commander even notice? Maybe not, so that’s liable ta make her speak up.” She wondered how Iggy was supposed to do homework. So many different things to take into consideration that humanoids would normally take for granted.

“She can’t even read yet, at least not at the level book work would require. She’s got the spider poem down pat, though. Loves that one.” On seeing Cass’s quizzical look, she recited, “‘Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly, 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy’...’, all about a spider trying to trick a fly into her web. Between Lieutenant Darwin and me, we’ve read it to her probably a hundred times.”

“But yeah, raising her hand-- erm... leg-- was an issue. Chance, my brother, is in the class with her. They have an arrangement now: she asks him the question and if it’s a legit question, he’ll ask it as her proxy. Her first question in class was to ask whether an Ascension class ship could go ‘faster than the speed of light’; she got laughed at for that one and didn’t like it one bit.” Yes, Iggy and Iggy’s antics were definitely a safe topic. She took another chocolate, by random pick, and was glad it was mint-laced chocolate.

Cassidy was in serious brainstorming mode, albeit quietly. Finishing another chocolate, she turned to look at Oz. “Well, I could help out with two things, if that would be alright with ya? I could work with Iggy on teachin’ her how ta read.” She smiled. “The other thing...well. I happened ta catch a ride here on Admiral Trahern’s ship. It turns out that she was raised on Earth and has a fondness for horses, which is how I came ta know her. She’s now the proud owner of four of my family’s finest steeds. I bet I could arrange for a shuttle ride so we could take Iggy and show her the new ship and the station from the outside. That would definitely show her how big both are.”

“On the reading tutoring, that’s a deal, Cassidy. As for the shuttle ride... Admiral Wegener...,” she paused and added an explanation, “...You might recall he’s been Iggy’s beer supplier and gave her her first lesson on cursing? Anyway, he was hoping to have a playdate with her. Perhaps I can convince him to take her around in his shuttle.” She laughed, knowing the spider would probably ooh and ahh... wait... had the spider ever ooh’d and aah’d? No, not that she could recall. Still, hopefully she’d get the idea of the size of things.

She pulled another chocolate out; this one was caramel with a sprinkle of Klingon salt - the spice surprised her. Sipping some nearly cold coffee, Oz got her breath back. “She’s reading a little bit. This week, we’ve been going through Red Riding Hood. You could tutor her in my quarters or yours or in Nexus Club, if Jackson doesn’t mind. Or Janice.”

“Cursin’ lessons,” Cass snickered. “Funny...but so inappropriate,” she quickly corrected. “Let me know if he doesn’t have time ta take her on that shuttle ride. I saw the ship - the Ascension - as we were comin’ in. Got a close up fly by of it. It’s huge.” Taking another chocolate, she groaned quietly in pleasure as the taste hit her tongue. Chocolate covered cherry drowned in rum.

“I love Little Red Riding Hood. It was one of my favorites growing up. I’d be happy ta tutor Iggy anywhere. I’m sure we’ll have a grand time together. I’ll check with Jackson and Janice about The Nexus, but I’m pretty busy there.” She happily finished the last bite of the cherry-rum morsel. “Mmm...oh! If ya think she’d enjoy it, I could teach her a little ‘bout music, too.” Sure, it might not be something a giant arachnid would be interested in, but then again, Iggy wasn’t an ordinary spider.

“I meant before your working hours. I’ll have to talk to Jackson about whether Iggy can be there during business hours. Last thing I want is to...” hurt Jackson “...hurt his business. Could you come over and start tomorrow, say around noon?”

“Before my shift could work, but I wouldn’t wanna do anything that could spook the patrons, either.” Cassidy watched Oralia for a moment before answering. “I’m not gonna be able ta start tomorrow with Iggy. I’ll be gone a few days, but as soon as I get back we can get started.”

In this region, there was only one place to go, really; what a coincidence that Cass and Jackson would be gone at the same time. The knowledge filtered into the back of her head, landing there to just mildly impinge on her feelings. “Ah, well, by the time you get back, then, I’ll be back at work, so Iggy will have plenty of free time,” Oz replied with a casual shrug. As she moved to sip her now-completely cold coffee, her watch alarm went off. “Oh! That’s for Iggy’s class. It’ll be ending in four minutes. Cass, thank you for the chocolates and bugs and, most of all, the company.”

“Yer very welcome, Oralia. Anytime.” Wiping her fingers off on a napkin, Cassidy felt a definite sugar rush from eating not just the chocolates with Oz, but the ones she sampled earlier, too. Wooooeeeeee! Her conscious was pricking her about something, so she spoke up. “Before ya hear ‘bout it from someone else and possibly some wild spin on it that isn’t true, I want ya ta hear it from me. I’m goin’ with Jackson down to Archadia. I know if ya hear it from anyone else, it’ll sound like somethin’ it isn’t. We’re just friends. He’s gonna play tour guide for me again.”

“He’ll be a great tour guide,” Oralia commented, not battin’ an eye about the news. Indeed, she smiled genuinely. “Archadia is interesting, what with the matriarchal society; and the beaches are beautiful.” She and Connor had gone there a few times to play in the sand and sun. “Just do a favor and be careful.” She meant the warning in the sense that Starfleet had been having problems with a segment of the Archadian populace. She leaned in and hugged Cassidy, “I need to head out, otherwise Chance will be stuck with Iggy.”

She hugged Oz back, and smiled brightly. “I’m always careful.” Tossing her empty coffee cup out, she walked with Oralia to the door. “I won’t hold ya up any longer. Tell Iggy I said hello and I hope she enjoys her meals. Especially the powdered doughnut.” Cass giggled. “It’s not really one, but the way the stuff comes off of moth’s wings made me think of ‘em.”

“I will, Cass. Thanks,” Oz laughed and, shaking her head, headed for the nearest turbolift.

Cassidy watched her go. Despite Oralia’s best efforts to put on a brave front, her emotions were still understandably a mess. They would be for a while. Checking the time, Cass headed off in the opposite direction to head home to get ready for work. She could drop off the meals she made for Oz on her way to The Nexus Club. Though after all the chocolates, she doubted they’d taste quite as good.

___________________________
Iggy
Alarming Alarm

Oralia Zeferino
Walking Wounded

Cassidy Wilde
Providing A Little Comfort & A Lot of Chocolates